Lover went from 'marry me' to 'I'm kidnapping you'

Published Monday, February 27, 2012

By Eman Al Baik

An Emirati man allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a woman because she refused to marry him, the Dubai Criminal Court heard on Monday.

According to the victim, MAA, a 22-year-old Emirati, who works as a Human Resources Executive in a government department, she knew the suspect for last nine years. However, "when he made his intentions clear", she began resisting his attempts and refused to marry him, which upset him.

She alleged that 26-year-old FAM began sending her threatening SMS in an effort to convince her to change her decision, which she paid no heed to.

She told the court that on December 12, as she was walking out of her office building at about 1.30pm, FAM stopped her and forcefully dragged her into the car shouting that he was kidnapping her. "He dumped me inside and sped off. As I struggled inside to set free from his grip he beat me up and bit me on my arm. Later, however, the car broke down and we got out and he hailed a cab. He asked the driver to head towards Ajman, but I pleaded with the cabbie to call 999 or head to the police station.," she told the court.

"The driver drove behind Dubai Police Headquarters and stopped in front of a traffic police. I sought help and pleaded with the cop to rescue me. The policeman asked us to get down, but FAM told him that I was his wife and asked the cab to driver away."

Policeman Salahuddin Mohammed testified that a Dubai Taxi stopped behind him and the victim was shouting 'help me, he is kidnapping me'. "She was barefoot and her abaya was torn," he testified in court.

Fatima Ali, the victim's senior at the workplace, testified that MAA had told her about the threatening SMS she had been receiving. "That morning he was seen roaming in our office building. When he saw me he left. It was only when other people told me that he had kidnapped MAA I ran out and discovered her mobile phone and shoes lying out," she told the court.