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26-year-old Bangladeshi cabbie charged with rape attempt, threat

Victim resembled my mother, suspect told cops

A taxi driver allegedly tried to rape a woman and on failing to carry out the crime, he reportedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident, a court heard.

The 26-year-old Bangladeshi denied an attempted rape charge in the Court of First Instance on Wednesday. He claimed that the victim invited him over to her flat so that he could return the Dh50 note she forgot in his cab. He also denied stealing Dh200 from her purse and threatening to kill her.

The incident happened on February 1.

The woman, an Irish teacher, 40, said she and her friend hailed a cab after eating at a cafe on Shaikh Zayed Road around 4am. “We took the cab which was driven by the accused. He first dropped my friend on Shaikh Zayed Road,” she said in the prosecution investigation.

The woman then told him to drop her at her flat in Al Warqa 1. On the way, the driver reportedly tried to strike up a conversation by asking the victim her name and nationality.

When they reached the victim’s flat and as she was handing over the fare, the accused reportedly asked her to take his mobile phone number so that she could call him directly if she needed a taxi in the future. She gave him a missed call upon his request.

As she entered her apartment, she was “surprised” when he called her and reportedly told her that she forgot cash in his cab. “I told him I did not,” she said.

Shortly later, he reportedly barged into her house. “He claimed he wanted a glass of water. As I went to bring him the water, he closed the door.

“He said I resembled his mother and that I was beautiful. He told me to call him my son. Suddenly, he pushed me down and jumped on me,” she recounted.

He then reportedly told her to go with him to her bedroom. “There, he took Dh200 from my purse, which was all I had then. He pushed me on the bed and tried to rape me.”

The victim reportedly resisted the rape attempt and fled to the bathroom, but the accused followed her and allegedly tried to rape her again. She fell down in the process and hit her head on the tub.

She managed to escape and fled the apartment. “I called a friend who lives in the same building.”

She sustained scratches on her face and chin, and a cut on her upper lip

A police lieutenant said they tracked the taxi driver from his workplace. “We got several photos of cabbies and the woman identified the accused among other drivers,” the officer said.

The police searched his place and seized his shirt, which reportedly had traces of lipstick and eye-liner on it.

He admitted in the investigation to the rape bid and said he stopped short of committing the act “because she resembled” his “mother”.

mary@khaleejtimes.com