Waving goodbye to fiancé prevents theft of car

A sales executive, who was waving goodbye to her fiancé from her house’s balcony, was shocked to see her car being lifted by a car recovery vehicle, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The victim SMF, 31, Egyptian, testified that on June 16, 2011 at around 3pm, her fiancé had got out of her flat and went down the building. “I went out to the balcony to wave goodbye to him.  I was shocked to see my car being lifted. I asked my fiancé to stop the driver from doing that until I come down. I told the car lift driver that the car is mine. The driver, who was with another person, showed me a transfer certificate of the car that showed that its owner is another person. I wrote my name and mobile number on the reverse side of the certificate. Then he put my car down from his vehicle and left the place,” she testified.

Her fiancé NRA, 31, Jordanian, testified that the person who was with the car lift driver told him that the car is mortgaged to a bank and that the owner did not pay the loan installments. “I asked him to talk to the bank employee. He said that there must be a mistake and that he will check with the bank. I gave him my phone number so that he could call me after checking with the bank. The man who was accompanying the driver left the place. The driver then put down the car and left the place. A month later, police called my fiancé about the car. I recognised the man who was with the driver in an identification parade,” he testified.

 The car lift driver SAA, 45, Indian, testified that on June 16, 2011, he received a call from MNL who asked him to lift a car from Al Barsha to Sharjah.

“I work in the car lifting business and I had dealt with MNL previously. I transported three cars from Al Barsha to Sharjah. I met him at around 1pm at Al Barsha and he was accompanied by other two people who claimed to be bank employees. They said the car is mortgaged to the bank and the buyer had failed to pay loan installments . He presented a photocopy of a car transfer certificate.

“One of the men came with me and MNL came in his car to guide me to the location of the car that was to be lifted and transported to Sharjah. However, the owner of the car stopped us,” he testified.

Lieutenant Mohammed Murad testified that police had  received a number of car theft reports from Al Barsha and Jebel Ali areas.

Investigating the complaints, police arrested MNL, 27, partner, FAH, 30, jobless, MAM, 27, sales manager, IAO, 36, driver, all Pakistanis, who used to steal cars by lifting them on to a recovery vehicle and transporting them to  a store in Sharjah.

“We found 20 cars stolen from Sharjah and Dubai in the store. We could reach their owners from the Salik cards  and car number plates,” he testified.

The accused confessed to stealing some of the cars that were in the store.

The car recovery driver recognised two of the accused and said that they had asked him to transport the car.

The accused sold the car to MAM as the transfer certificate was issued in his name.

All the four were also accused of forging RTA documents and stamps.

The court will reconvene on July 17.

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