DUBAI 6 May 2017: A Nigerian learned the exact timing of the arrival of a Bangladeshi to Dubai’s Ayyal Nasser area carrying more than half a million dirhams.
He sent five of his fellow men to steal the amount, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.
On November 24, 2016 at 4.25pm, AS, 36, Bangladeshi supervisor of a tailoring shop at Ayyal Nasser area, received a call from his cousin MM, who had just arrived from Abu Dhabi.
“He asked me to come out of the shop and and as I reached to his car, he handed over a sack and asked me to keep it until he finds a parking for his car and then he would come to my shop,” said AS.
“After I stepped into the shop I bent to put the nylon sack on a desk under the table. As I raised my head, someone hit me from behind on my neck with a sharp tool, and another was trying to snatch the sack while hitting me with scissors,” he said.
The victim shouted and screamed for help and tailors in the shop got out and helped him and caught the attackers.
At the same time, other Nigerians got into the shops and tried to release the attackers and succeeded in releasing the one who snatched the sack.
Attackers Escape
All the Nigerians ran away except for one. Police arrived and arrested EO, 31 who admitted that they were a gang of five. He and OA attacked the victim while the rest three were outside the shop.
Tailors in the shop gave corroborative testimonies.
The 35-year old MM, who came from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to buy some electronics on behalf of an electronic company testified that he called his cousin informing him about his arrival to Dubai and that he was passing in front of his shop.
“I asked him to come out and handed him over the sack which contained Dh563,000. I asked him to keep it until I found a parking,” he said.
After he took the sack, I moved slowly because of the traffic jam.
“As I heard shouts coming from his shop, I stopped the car aside and rushed to the shop… I saw my cousin and other tailors trying to catch a man who was threatening them with a scissor in one hand while he was carrying my sack in the other. He could ran away with the sack while the tailors were holding another African. Some Africans got into the shop and tried to release their friend… I called the police, so the Africans ran away leaving their friend in the tailors’ hands,” testified MM.
Arrests
A week later police arrested the other attacker, OA, who admitted that two hours before the theft he and his partners received a phone call from their compatriot Madoka, who planned the theft.
“My friends and I met Madoka before the crime and he said that he learnt from a Bangladeshi about a man carrying more than half a million dirham. He told us that this man will arrive in his car near a tailoring shop at Ayyal Nasser area and that this motorist will hand the amount to someone from the tailoring shop,” testified OA.
“We all went to the area and waited outside the shop. After a few minutes, I received a call from Madoka, who was in the area and the latter told me that the man with the money came in his car. We were supposed to attack him in his car. However, as he slowed down and handed the sack to a man who came out from the tailoring shop, we followed him into the shop, attacked him and stole the sack,” OA admitted.
Police reviewed footage of CCTV of a shop opposite to the tailoring shop and saw the two attackers following the victim into the tailoring shop.
The footage also showed the two attackers fighting with men inside the shop.
Madoka and the other three are still at large.
The court will give verdict on May 22.
By Lolyana Zaki