Lift attacker who fled with Dh200k gets 5 years

An Uzbek who allegedly stole Dh200,000 from a resident after he followed him to the lift of his residence building, stabbed and punched him in the face, was sentenced to 5 years and three months in jail.
 
The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance found AJ, 33 guilty of forcible theft, intentional physical attack, entering the country illegally, returning to the country after previous deportation. The court ordered the accused to be deported after serving his jail term.
 
According to the records, on May 12, at around 2.30pm, the victim MS, Indian salesman, was asked by his manager to take cash of different currencies and have them transferred into UAE dirhams.
 
“I took the money from the company at Al Qusais area and headed to a money exchange near my residence in Naif area. However, as the money exchange shop was closed, I decided to take the money home and to exchange it before heading reporting for the afternoon shift. As I stepped into the building and got into the lift, a man got in, too. I pressed the button to go to the third floor and he pressed on the second.
 
But the man did not get off at the second floor. When I got off at my third floor he tried to snatch the bag from my shoulder. He pulled out a knife and asked me to hand the bag over. When I resisted him, he stabbed me in the belly and hand and punched me in the face and fled with the bag,” the victim testified.
 
He then ran down the stairs and chased the attacker.
 
Meanwhile, the attacker had reached the ground floor and fled. “I ran after him shouting for help. I could not chase him in the street because I fainted due to bleeding and the strong punch in the face,” said the victim.
 
The victim reported that there was nobody in the building’s entrance to help him catch the attacker.
 
Reviewing CCTV recordings and finger prints from the lift, police arrested the suspect.
 
The victim identified him in an identification parade.
 
The accused admitted to roaming around at money exchange shops in the area before selecting the victim.
 
“I followed him to the building and attacked him in the lift and as he resisted me, I pulled the knife that I was hiding in my trouser. I got rid of the knife in a garbage bin in the same area,” the accused admitted.
 
The accused told investigators that he had transferred Dh200,000 to his home country as he was passing through financial difficulties.

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