Man on trial for groping girl in Dubai Mall lift

 An Egyptian engineer allegedly a teenaged Saudi girl when she was in a lift in Dubai Mall, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The victim, RM, 14, student, was going to the third floor for ice skating, accompanied by her two sisters, one five years old and the other two.

“As we entered the lift, a man got in too. I moved away to give him space to press the button to his floor. When the lift starting moving, he came close to me and groped my lower back. I shouted at him and moved away. The lift stopped at a floor and some people got in.

“When the lift reached the third floor, all people got out including the molester. I waited with my sisters inside the lift. He turned back and saw that we did not get out. He quickly returned to the lift and with his two hands stopped the doors which were sliding to close. He prevented us from getting out of the lift by standing in front of the door until it closed,” the victim told investigators.

The accused got into the lift and again groped the girl. When the lift’s doors opened, he got out. The girl then hit him on his shoulder while shouting at him.

The girl sent an SMS to her mother telling her about the incident. The parents rushed to the place and started searching for the molester with the help of the mall’s security staff but the accused had disappeared.

The family then reported the matter to the police. Reviewing camera footage, police identified the molester from his car’s plate number.

When questioned, HS, 36, initially denied knowledge about the incident but later admitted to groping the girl but claimed that it was accidental.

The court will reconvene on November 13.
 

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