Rape accused in custody

The Dubai Criminal Court yesterday heard the case of two UAE nationals YM, 27, and IA, 25, where the former is accused of raping an Arab girl, RM, and the latter, with abetting the crime.

The first defendant, who is in custody, attended yesterday's session with two lawyers, while the second defendant, who was released after impounding his passport, did not attend. Prosecution witness, Ahmed Mohammed Amin, an unemployed UAE national who had a previous relationship with the victim, stayed away.

Earlier, the victim testified that she got to know Amin, who has turned approver in the case, through her job at the Uptown Mall. Amin promised to marry her but later told her he had been called to join the army and their relationship ended.

She said after two days she received a call from the first defendant, who said he wished to marry an Arab woman and kept calling her until she agreed to go out with him that evening.

When they were returning in the company of the second defendant, the first defendant drove the car to a secluded roadside, and after telling his friend to leave them alone, allegedly assaulted and raped her.

When she tried to run away he followed, forcing her to board the car again. The second defendant too, boarded the car. When the first defendant dropped his friend home and told her to move to the front seat, she ran away. Yesterday, the case was adjourned to February 24 and the defendant remanded to custody.

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