Friend's treachery costs Dubai businessman Dh400,000 loss

An Iranian businessman robbed his compatriot after knowing that he possessed Dh200,000 which he was to hand over to his brother in law in a nearby office, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

HZ, 22, asked another person identified as IK, 33, visitor, to follow him to the victim’s relative’s office and to attack him with a pair of scissors. The two robbed the Dh200,000 in addition to another Dh200,000 that was in the office’s drawer after stabbing the victim several times.

The victim, SM, 28, Iranian visitor, told the police that at around 10am on September 4, he went  to the office of his brother MZ to pay him Dh200,000 that he was asking for.

“On my way to my brother- in-law’s office in Sabkha area, I passed by the grocery of my uncle. 

"I met HZ who was in the grocery. We talked for some time and he knew that I am heading to my brother in law’s office to pay him Dh200,000. I left the grocery and headed to my brother in law’s office. I gave him the amount and then he asked me to wait to have lunch together. He went to order the lunch and closed the door behind asking me not to open the door before looking through the magnifier glass,” he testified.

While the victim was sitting alone, he heard a knock at the door. “I looked through the magnifier and saw HZ. I opened the door and he got in. As we were chatting, I heard another knock at the door. HZ went to open the door, but I asked him not to. He did not listen to me and opened the door.

“A man wearing a black scarf covering half of his face got in and rushed towards me pointing a pair of scissors at me. I held his right hand in which he was holding the scissors to avoid his stab. We started fighting while HZ was standing there just looking at us. I managed to pull away the attacker’s scarf and I recognised him.

“At this time, HZ ran out of the company and I tried to catch him. The attacker Ibrahim pulled me in and cupped my mouth with his hand. When I fell on the floor, he stabbed me twice in my back. I tried to get up and resist him… He stabbed me several times in my neck. He wanted to kill me as I had recognised him. Then he opened the drawer, took the money and ran out of the office,” the victim testified.

The victim, with the help of people, caught HZ while Ibrahim escaped. At this time, the victim’s brother in law MA, 28, received a call from his country, telling him about the attack in his office.

“I rushed back to the office and saw people gathering around my relative who was lying in a pool of blood on the ground. Checking the drawer, I found that the attackers had taken the Dh200,000 which the victim had given  to me in addition to another Dh200,000 that was in the drawer,” MA testified.

Police arrived and rushed the victim to the hospital and arrested HZ who admitted to planning to commit the robbery with the aid of Ibrahim. Police searched for Ibrahim who they knew, based on a tip off, that he was looking for a sailor at Sharjah Port to smuggle him out of the country. H was arrested on the following day at around 10am.

Ibrahim admitted before the police to committing the crime but denied stealing any money. He claimed that according to the plan he was supposed to attack the victim in the office after getting a missed call from HZ who had entered the office before him.

“I received a missed call from HZ, so I put on the scarf so that the victim would not identify me and knocked at the door. As the door opened I rushed towards the victim to freeze his movement. When he resisted, I looked around and saw a pair of scissors with which I stabbed him several time and ran out of the office,” Ibrahim told investigators denying that he stole any money.

Police did not find any money with Ibrahim. However, police confiscated at the scene of the crime scene a T-shirt, cap, sunglasses, a slipper and trouser that Ibrahim was wearing to prevent the victim from identifying him.

Police found Dh715 and Iranian toman 33,000 in addition to his visit visa in the pocket of his trousers.

 Medical report said the stab wounds in the neck could have been fatal.

The Court will reconvene on February 4.
 

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