Dubai: A waiter has been accused of attempting to defraud a bank of Dh250,000 after he applied for a personal loan using forged papers, heard a court on Monday.

An Indian bank’s public relations officer was said to have been contacted by his 30-year-old countryman waiter, who wanted to apply for a personal loan of Dh250,000 in May.

Once the public relations officer told his boss about the waiter’s loan query, he was cautioned about dealing with the waiter, according to records.

The two men met in a mall in Al Karama, where the suspect provided the public relations officer several papers and signed the bank application for loan and a credit card. Police arrested the waiter after it was discovered that the papers submitted by him for processing the loan application were forged.

Prosecutors accused the suspect of attempting to embezzle Dh250,000 from the bank by using forged papers.

According to the accusation sheet, prosecutors said the suspect collaborated with two others, who remain at large, in forging a Dubai Municipality salary certificate, bank statement and a residency stamp to apply for the bank loan.

The 30-year-old pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The suspect argued before presiding judge Urfan Omar: “I did not forge any papers. The two runaways forged the documents. They handed me an envelope full of papers and asked me to give it to the bank’s representative … they arrested me once they discovered that the papers were forged. I had nothing to do with the forgery.”

Upon confronting him with the signed application and residency stamp, the suspect contended: “I signed the application but I was not aware that the documents were forged. The passport is mine but one of the runaways forged the residency sticker … not me.”

The public relations officer told prosecutors: “The suspect called me and claimed to have obtained my contact from a friend … he said he wanted to apply for a personal loan of Dh250,000. I told him about the required documents, but my supervisor told me that the bank has doubts concerning the applicant [suspect]. When I met him in the mall, he provided me with a bank statement, salary certificate and a photocopy of his passport and residency … then he signed the loan application and a security cheque. Meanwhile, police raided the place and arrested the suspect … the papers turned out to be forged.”

A ruling in the case will be heard on Thursday.