Trader dupes car importer of Dh1 million

An Ethiopian businessman, who conned a compatriot of Dh1 million worth of cars and heavy vehicles, was sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Dubai.
 
The convict, SR, 35, who exploited the victim who had asked him to finish the vehicle’s purchase and shipping formalities, was also ordered to be deported after serving his jail term.
 
According to the records, the victim, SD, 33, transferred varying amounts to the accused whenever the latter told him about a used car that he might be interested in. The amounts he had transferred to the accused totaled Dh1 million.
 
In July 2013, the victim bought two cars for Dh40,000 from Al Aweer automobile market. And on the following day he bought a third car for Dh21,500. He assigned SR, who owns a shipping company, to transport the cars to his country and returned to Ethiopia.
 
While he was there, SR sent email to SD telling him about two cars for Dh46,000 and that he had actually paid Dh2,500 down payment from the amount he had sent him earlier. SD agreed to buy the cars and so he transferred their value to SR.
 
After a couple of weeks, SD came to the UAE and bought a car from Al Aweer market for Dh22,000 which he paid in cash.
 
In September, SR told him about eight trucks that were in Khalid Port and asked for $280,000 as their value with shipping cost.
 
 “A few days later I paid him $140,000 so that he could transport the vehicles and cars at once,” said the victim.
 
The victim left for Ethiopia and  the accused claimed he is proceeding with shipping formalities. One day, the accused sent email to victim proving that he had shipped the trucks, so the latter sent him the remaining amount of their price.
 
“He also send a picture of a Land Cruiser and asked for Dh50,000 as its price in addition to $3,000 in shipping fees. I transferred its price and then I deposited $10,000 in a bank in my country as a guarantee for the entry of five cars,” said the victim.
 
As the cars did not arrive, the victim started asking the accused to expedite.
 
Finally, the accused stopped answering the victim’s phone calls.
 
The victim checked the documents the accused had sent him and found out that they were forged.
 
A car dealer told him that he had sold a car for which he had paid its down payment as SR failed to pay its value. Checking the documents SR had sent him at the RTA, he found out that the documents of four cars were forged.
 
Other mutual acquaintances told the victim that SR had admitted to taking a total of Dh1million from him for buying cars and shipping them to Ethiopia.
 
 The accused admitted to forging the papers of four cars and using them in Ethiopia to obtain foreign currency. He claimed that he needed the money as the victim had failed to send him their full value after he paying their down payment.
 
“I had to buy them and pay their prices,” the accused claimed before denying that he had received any amount from the complainant.






 

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