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28 March 2024

Dubai auto agency supervisor robs car buyers by issuing fake receipts

Published
By Eman Al Baik

A sales supervisor at an automobile agency allegedly collected Dh1.6 million from buyers and fled the country, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

MAR, 42, from Jordan, is accused by the Dubai Prosecution of stealing Dh1.597 that he was paid by several buyers by exploiting his position as sales supervisor at a car agency. The accused is identified as TM.

The agency’s public relation manager, QMA, 50, Indian testified that on July 31, 2011, the accused asked for his passport claiming that he needs it to travel back home to attend the funeral of his father.

“After he fled to his country, a number of people approached the car agency to finalise their deals since they had already made their downpayment when MAR was handling their case. The agency quickly found out that MAR had actually booked a car in their names without depositing the booking amounts with the agency. The company attempted to call MAR on the contact number in his home country, however they did not receive any response, so the employer filled a complaint with the police,” he testified.

KSA, 37, Egyptian, sales manager, testified that on July 18, 2011, he had paid MAR Dh220,000 for a car that he had agreed to buy and the remaining amount would have been paid after receiving the car. On the agreed date, he approached the agency to collect the car and to pay the remaining amount, but he discovered that MAR had fled with the money.

FK, 39, Finance manager, Syrian, also testified that on July 26, 2011, he handed MRA Dh100,000 for a car. He was supposed to receive the car after finishing registration formalities

ZMH, 45, manager, Syrian, testified that he paid the accused Dh270,000 the full price of a car 2011 model.

“On the agreed date, I approached the agency to find out that the sales supervisor had fled the country with the money,” he testified.

MMS, 39, Egyptian, marketing representative, testified that on July 24, he paid the accused Dh150,000.

IHA, 31,  sales supervisor, Egyptian, testified that in July he paid the accused Dh200,000 down payments to buy two cars.

HH also testified that on July 27 he handed over Dh1 million as down payment to buy three new cars.

The accused supplied the buyers with receipts attributed to the agency.

FJM, 45, Lebanese, manager of the agency, testified that the accused and any other employee in the same position is not authorised to collect money from buyers nor issue them receipts. The accused  is only authorized to agree about car specifications with buyers. The amounts should have been paid to the agency’s accountant against payment receipts, he testified.

“The accused did not issue receipts but rather bogus invoices that are usually issued for car transfer or for submitting to banks for finance and are not considered genuine receipts,” he testified.

SSD, 29, Sri Lankan, cashier at the agency, repeated the same testimony.

The court adjourned the case for verdict till June 10. 

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Bank employees caught stealing Dh128,000 from client's account

Ten people including three employees of a bank stole Dh128,000 from a client account, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The three bank employees identified as NRA, 27, Pakistani, SSS, 35, Indian, and AAM, 33, Indian, leaked information of the account of SBS to other people to enable them to steal from his account.

SKO, 34, RBS 29, KRK, 27, AAM, 33, THT, 32, ZFL, 43 and JPJ, 32, all Indians, managed to forge documents and transfer the amount to the account of AKB, 52, a jobless Indian.

The accused submitted a transfer request of Dh128,000 to the account of AKB, 38, mechanic engineer, by forging his signature which they received from the bank’s employees. The transfer request was processed from another branch.

According to the rules should the amount subject to transfer be more than Dh50,000 the client should be notified and confirmation should be obtained from him, testified the bank’s investigation manger, RA.

The accused managed to disconnect the mobile number of the victim with etisalat and one of them pretended to be the holder of the sim card and claimed that he had lost it so he was issued another sim with the same number so that when the bank verify the transfer of the amount, he would be able to respond to the bank.

Since they had full details of the victim’s account, they gave correct response when the bank called to confirm the transfer.

The victim called the bank on January 22, 2011 and informed about the transfer that he had never requested for. He also said that he had not filled or signed the transfer form and said that his mobile was disconnected on the day of the transfer so he did not receive any call for confirmation from the bank.

The bank lodged a complaint with the police who arrested AKB when he approached the bank to collect the money, testified RA.

AKB confessed to the police that some people approached him and agreed with him to transfer the amount to his account against Dh15,000.

The victim testified that accidently he had logged into the bank’s website and checked his account.

“I found that Dh128,000 have been transferred on the same day to another account so I immediately notified the bank and on the next day the matter was checked by the bank who assured that I answered the confirmation call…I realized why my mobile was disconnected,” he testified.

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