13 stand trial in Sharjah gambling den case

Sharjah - Among the 11 defendants charged with taking part in gambling activities, four are in their sixties.

The Sharjah Shariah court has charged two Asians with running a gambling den in an apartment in Sharjah and 11 others with participating in gambling activities.
The court presided by Judge Hussain Al Ousofi accused 65-year-old O.M.N. and 61-year-old N.M. of taking an apartment on rent and opening it for people who wanted to gamble. They allegedly took percentage from the winners and controlled gambling activities.
Among the 11 defendants charged with taking part in gambling activities, four are in their sixties.
The accused denied the charges and claimed that they were not guilty.
According to the prosecution, the Sharjah Police received information from security sources on June 24, 2016, that some Asians are involved in gambling in a flat in the Yarmouk area.
The police raided the flat and arrested 12 Asians of different nationalities and one Arab. The police also managed to seize money and tools used for gambling.
During the police and public prosecution interrogation, 11 defendants said the two others were running the gambling den. However, during the court hearing, they retracted their statement and said they were not arrested from the flat. They also claimed that they knew nothing about the gambling activities.
A senior police official called upon members of the community to cooperate with all security institutions and report all irregularities and behaviours that are inconsistent and harmful to the security of the state and the public, by calling toll-free number 901 in case of non-emergency cases or call 999 for emergencies.
amira@khaleejtimes.com