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Salesman in dock over having fake Saudi riyals

DUBAI — A Mauritanian salesman was charged with possession of fake currency for circulation in the Court of First Instance on Sunday.

The 44-year-old salesman allegedly possessed five 500 riyal bills which were counterfeit.

According to the prosecution records, the accused tried to buy a television set with the fake money.

An Emirati police sergeant told the prosecutor that the defendant was arrested on July 5 after they received reliable information about him wandering about suspiciously around shops in Naif.

“We were informed about an African man moving around the shops in Naif in a suspicious way. What raised our doubts was that he got tense when we stopped him,” the sergeant said.

Then, an Indian man came and told the police to hold the accused as he had given him 2000 fake Saudi riyals when purchasing a TV set from an electronics shop.

The Indian was to deliver the TV set to the Mauritanian later. It happened a few hours before the police intercepted him.

The defendant admitted at that moment that he had handed over 2,000 Saudi Riyals to an Indian man but said he did not know whether the money was fake.

He admitted as the cops were searching him that he also had another 500 Saudi riyal bill in his wallet which a Saudi man had given him for commercial transactions in Naif.

After verifying that the Saudi currency in the defendant’s possession was counterfeit at a nearby money exchange office, the defendant was taken to the police station.

The defendant has a similar case filed against him. He is being wanted, by many authorities, for fraud, expropriation of others’ money, and absconding from the sponsor.

The Public Prosecution remarked in its arraignment sheet that the defendant failed to bring in witnesses who could support his claims.

The report of the Criminal Lab showed that the currency notes seized from the defendant were counterfeit.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

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