Man stabbed in lift, Dh200,000 robbed

An Uzbek national allegedly stole Dh200,000 from an Indian expatriate after he followed him into the lift of his building, stabbed him in the belly and punched him in the face before snatching a bag which contained the money, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.
 
AJ, 33, jobless, is also accused of entering the UAE despite being deported earlier. He is also accused of illegal stay and sneaking into the country by following illegal routes.
 
 On May 12, at around 2.30pm, the victim MS, salesman, was asked by his manager to take cash of different currencies to a money exchange and convert them into UAE dirhams.
 
“I took the money from the company’s office in Qusais and headed to a money exchange near my residence in Naif. However, as the money exchange shop was closed, I decided to take the money home and to exchange it before start of the afternoon shift. When I entered the building and got into the lift, a man got in too. I pressed the third floor button and he pressed on the second.
 
“When the lift reached to the second floor, the man did not get out. And when it reached the third floor and I was going out, he tried to snatch the bag from my shoulder. He pulled out a knife and asked me to hand the bag over to him. When I resisted him, he stabbed me in the belly. My hand was wounded as I tried to defend myself. Then he punched my face and snatched the bag,” said the victim.
 
The victim used the stairs and chased the attacker.
 
“The lift’s door opened and the attacker ran out of the building while I was running after him and shouting for help. I chase him in the street but I fainted due to bleeding from wounds and the strong punch on my face,” said the victim.
 
There was no one at the building’s entrance.
 
Reviewing CCTV recordings and lifting fingerprints and DNA in the lift, police reached AJ, 33.
 
After arrested the accused, the victim recognised him when shown to him via identification parade.
 
The accused admitted to roaming around near money exchanges in the area before finding the victim.
 
“I followed him into the building and attacked him in the lift and when he resisted me, I pulled out the knife that I was hiding in the pocket of my trousers. I got rid of the knife in a garbage bin in the same area,” the accused admitted.
 
The accused told investigators that he had transferred Dh200,000 to his home country as he was passing through financial difficulties.
 
The court will reconvene on January 28.

 

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