Two alleged black magicians let off the hook

Two purported black magicians were freed when the court ruled it could not deliver a verdict based on hearsay.

Ali S. K., a 25-year-old UAE national, had filed a lawsuit against two Sudanese nationals, claiming they had conned him out of Dh50,000.

Imad A. F., 32, and Mohammed I. M., 37, had allegedly convinced the victim that they could multiply currency through black magic.

The Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted both men of the charges, but fined Imad Dh500 for illegal residence.

On September 21, Ali alerted police that he had lost Dh50,000 in a black magic scam. Five months earlier, he had learned of the two men and their "supernatural" abilities through several friends.

Apparently, Imad was able to contact a jinn and multiply money through a special chewing gum solution. The UAE national said he contacted Imad and asked him to fetch this solution so he could multiply his money.

Ali was told the solution would cost Dh15,000. Imad took Ali to Mohammed's apartment in Al Hamriya where they conferred and decided to become partners.

Two days later, Mohammed informed Ali that the solution was insufficient to process the operation. The solution would only yield $12 million, out of which $10 million would be valid currency, while the rest would be invalid.

So the three men decided that Mohammed would take $4 million, while Ali and Imad would pocket $3 million each.

Mohammed also asked Ali to rent him a new apartment in Deira and pay an additional sum required to contact the jinn and procure necessary equipment.

Ali told police that he doled out an estimated Dh50,000 to the two Africans, but never received anything in return. The police arrested the two suspects.

During the trial, Imad and Mohammed both denied the allegations. The court dismissed the charges and ruled it was impossible to base a verdict on hearsay.