'Gold dealers' rob $35,000 from investor

Three Cameroon nationals, who claimed to be gold dealers, allegedly attacked a prospective investor and robbed $35,000 and other belongings from him, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The victim, YK, 69, Indian, came to Dubai to buy a company.

A woman had advised him to deal with some Africans who trade in gold and jewellery.

On May 21, the prospective investor met two of them in the reception of his hotel in Naif.

MM, 26 and BN, 22, introduced themselves as gold and jewellery dealers.

"The two offered to sell gold that they will import. I clearly told them that I did not want to deal in gold without official documents and licence. While I was talking to them, one of them tried to snatch my laptop. I asked the security to take them out of the hotel. The two continued calling me but I did not attend their calls," he said.
 
On May 26, the elderly investor went out of the hotel carrying his money bag and laptop and headed to a nearby restaurant.
 
"Before re-entering the hotel, the two Africans and a third person stopped me and asked me to call a man for them. It was just a trick to approach me and snatch my bag which contained $35,000 and documents, my laptop worth Dh6,700 and my mobile phone before running away," said the victim.
 
Police rushed to the scene and reviewed the CCTV footage. They saw three men snatching the bag of the complainant.

Police asked the victim to try to communicate with them through mediators.

The victim communicated with the attackers, but they put a condition that he should drop his complaint, ask police to leave the hotel and delete CCTV recordings before they return his bag.
 
Police realised that the attackers were still in the vicinity of the hotel.

A policeman went out of the hotel, surveyed the area and arrested two African suspects. The third, BN, 22, salesman, was arrested later in his accommodation in Hamriya.

The victim recognised his attackers who claimed that the victim owed them Dh3,000 that he had failed to pay.

The court will reconvene on August 23.

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