Workers who threatened to kill boss get jail terms in Dubai

Dubai: Three workers have been jailed for three years each after abducting and threatening to kill their boss over alleged non-payment of salary.

The Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday convicted the trio, two Indians and a Sri Lankan, of kidnapping their Indian boss from his office in Naif and locking him up in a house in Satwa where they threatened to kill him if he refused to pay them Dh139,000 in alleged unpaid wages.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir also fined eight workers, two Indians and six Sri Lankans, Dh1,000 each for conspiring with the abductors by failing to report the crime to the police.

The judge said the eleven would be deported after fulfilling their punishment.

Used knives

The boss, M.A., testified before prosecutors that some of the convicts kidnapped him, others beat him and the rest threatened to kill him with sharp tools if he refused to pay the cash.

The Public Prosecution charged two Indian workers, 23-year-old S.R. and 46-year-old S.S., and 25-year-old Sri Lankan, S.P., with kidnapping M.A. and locking him up against his will.

According to the charge sheet, the trio were additionally charged with using knives and threatening to kill the claimant if he refused to pay.

S.R., S.S. and S.P. were also charged with robbery of M.A.'s cheque books, mobile phone, Dh1,000 and personal documents.

Six of the suspects pleaded not guilty when they had appeared in court earlier.

S.R., defending himself, argued: "I am not guilty and I didn't do it."

Another suspect said: "That's absolutely untrue and I am innocent."

In his statement to the Public Prosecution, M.A. said: "Ten people came to my office in Naif and S.R. carried a knife.

"They asked me to give them my passport and cheque books. They threatened me and I had to leave with them at knifepoint.

"I was locked up in two different houses in Satwa for two days."

Operation

Records revealed that the suspects forced their boss to sign a cheque worth Dh139,000 before they took him to a bank where they failed to cash the cheque because of insufficient funds.

An Emirati police lieutenant testified that the claimant was freed during an operation.

"M.A.'s son phoned his friend, named A., from India and informed him that the suspects had abducted and detained his father against his will. A. reported to the police who plotted a sting operation that freed the claimant and led to the arrest of the suspects," stated the lieutenant.

The primary judgment is still subject to appeal within 15 days.