A punctured tyre that almost cost Dubai businessman $4 million

An Afghan man, with the help of fugitives, allegedly damaged the tyre of a car in the parking lot of Dubai airport in an attempt to steal $4 million from a passenger on arrival, the Dubai Criminal court heard. 

HKW, 24, was arrested while the rest of the group ran away. 

Mujahed Shahrazad, 24, an Afghan businessman testified that he had parked his Range Rover in parking lot of Dubai Airport’s Terminal 1 to received his business partner and cousin Hazad Khan on July 31, 2011. 

“While I was waiting for my cousin in the airport, I got a call from the police asking me to come to where my car was parked.

“I went there and saw that the rear left tyre had been damaged with a sharp tool. I thought someone must have done that because my cousin was bringing with him $4 million for payment to traders in UAE,” he testified. 

Shahrazad told the police that they had suffered several thefts in Afghanistan and that in one case his cousin was kidnapped for ransom.

But as the kidnappers’ demand was not met, his cousin was killed.

Afghanistan police had provided them with armoured vehicles and guards to protect them. 

“This was not the first time that my cousin was bringing with him a large amount of money. We deposit the amounts with an exchange company near Naif police station and then get it exchanged into dirhams to pay traders in the UAE,” he told the police.

“We cannot transfer money from Afghanistan as there is not such a system with the UAE.” 

HKW, who had been deported twice from the UAE, confessed that he had entered the country illegally and does not have a passport or UAE visa and that he had used three different names.

HKW had a criminal record with the police. 

The court adjourned the case for verdict until March 27.