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PhD holder on trial in UAE for stealing phones, using nerve gas

Ras Al Khaimah - He said he was in a serious financial crisis and had been unable to find a job.

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A PhD holder on a visit visa has stood trial at a Ras Al Khaimah court on charges of robbery, assault and posing as a cop. He reportedly sprayed nerve gas on a group of people and stole their mobile phones.

The complainants said that when the Arab man approached them, he claimed that he was an officer at the RAK Police and demanded that they show their ID cards, according to court records.

It was when they asked him to present his police ID that he attacked them.

"He sprayed nerve gas on us and robbed us of three mobile phones," they said.

The RAK Police then launched an investigation and managed to arrest the man, who confessed to the crime.

He claimed that he was in "a very serious financial crisis" that he had no choice but to steal.

When he appeared in court, he admitted the charges of robbery, posing as a cop, and attacking others using a nerve gas.

The defendant also asked the complainants to forgive him and withdraw the case, saying that he was the "breadwinner of his family" and he "needed the money for an emergency situation back home".

He then pointed out that it was his first time to be involved in such a crime, claiming that he was "a respectable person with a PhD".

He came to the country on a visit visa and stayed with some of his friends in Ras Al Khaimah, hoping that he could land a decent job, he told the court.

"I tried hard to find a job, to no avail," he said. "I used to work back home, but I resigned and travelled to a European country. I could not make it there and had to fly to the UAE to start any job, with the help of my friends here."

The trial was adjourned to a later date this month for the verdict.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah