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Two women taken hostage over debt

A Chinese woman, assisted by three women and two men from her home country, who held two of her compatriots hostage and would not let them free unless they paid money owed to her, have been referred to the Dubai criminal court by the Dubai Public Prosecution on the charge of forced imprisonment and kidnap.

The accused had prevented the two victims from leaving the hotel, where the former had taken them hostage, and threatened to kill the second victim along with her children, if she did not pay up the debt she owed to the accused.

The Chinese woman, 55, identified as L.B., denied the charge brought against her in the court, which adjourned the case to February 11.

The victims claimed that while they were in the International City area in Dubai, the kidnapper approached them, accompanied by five other people and said she wanted to speak to them in a car park outside the office.

The victims said that when they left the office, a car drove up and somebody pushed them inside and drove them to Abu Dhabi. “The accused threatened me to pay up the debt I owed her,” one of the victims testified before court.

Following a heated argument the kidnappers drove her back to Dubai and booked a hotel room, where they stayed with the victims. The accused told the victims to settle the debt by paying Dh100,000 in cash or Dh150,000 by cheque. The victims apparently called somebody to arrange the cash, and convinced the accused to leave and fetch the money, but instead they called the police. —salah@khaleejtimes.com