Man dupes businessman of Dh275,000 in Dubai

Dubai - He forged papers to offer mall shops for rent.

A salesman was charged with fraud on Monday at the Dubai Court of First Instance after he allegedly duped a businessman of Dh275,000 by falsely claiming he was authorised to offer shops for rent in a mall.
The 50-year-old South African salesman has been accused of fraud, forgery of official document and using a forged official document.
According to public prosecution records, the defendant forged papers, which he attributed to a renowned property developer. The papers contained the details and rental fees of a shop in a mall.
The case unfolded between February and May last year. It was registered at Bur Dubai police station.
The complainant, a 44-year-old Egyptian businessman, said he is a partner in a consulting group which offers administrative advice to businessmen and helps them invest in Dubai. "One of our clients wanted to rent a shop in a mall. A friend told me about a real estate agency that can help us find such a shop. I was then given the number of the defendant who works at that agency."
The complainant checked with the Land Department and found that the real estate agency was authorised in such a business. "In February last year, I called the accused and told him about my client's plan to rent a shop in that mall. He then told me about an agreement between their agency and the property developer, under which they are authorised to offer shops for rent at that mall."
The complainant later met the defendant at his office at a tower and paid him Dh20,000, which the accused claimed were fees to get the price list.
"In April, he handed over to me documents which he claimed were issued from the property developer, bearing no signatures. The documents were about the shop details, the rental fee, and contract duration and terms," he told the prosecutor.
The businessman then paid the salesman Dh150,000, Dh10,000 and Dh10,000 on different occasions for which he got receipts. "In May, I paid him Dh75,000 in cash in my office. However, he failed to hand the shop over to my client. He kept dilly-dallying, claiming he was willing to return all the amounts he collected but that didn't happen."
The accused and another runaway suspect asked for an additional Dh4 million from the client who wanted to rent the shop.
The complainant later visited the property developer and learned from them that the documents used by the accused were not issued from them. He was also told there was no agreement between them and the real estate agency for which the defendant worked.
The man immediately filed a complaint at Bur Dubai police station.
A ruling will be pronounced on May 16.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai