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Court upholds acquittal of eight over riot, destruction

Dubai - The workers destroyed furniture and vehicles belonging to the company that owned their labour accommodation

A group of eight workers (seven Indians and one Nepali) have had their acquittal verdict - on the charges of instigating other labourers to riot and vandalising property in their accommodation - upheld by the Court of Appeals.
The rioting is believed to have resulted in damage worth over Dh287,000 at the campus.
According to prosecution records, the accused, who worked for a contracting company in an industrial area in Jebel Ali, instigated and took part in an illegal assembly. Their aim was to force the real estate company in whose accommodation they stayed, to give them their room keys.
The case dates back to the evening of January 3. According to the Egyptian campus security guard, around 7 pm, two Indian workers approached him complaining that they lost cash money, a gold necklace, and coats.
Shortly later, the guard saw hundreds of workers marching in anger. "They stormed into the offices and smashed and destroyed furniture and vehicles in the campus using their bare hands, rocks, sticks and iron bars." A police sergeant said that by the time they reached the scene, the trouble makers had already disappeared.
The accused were cleared by the Court of First Instance in June of the charges, including intentionally causing damage to others' property and taking part in unlawful assembly.
mary@khaleejtimes.com