Dubai - They attempted to defraud her of Dh60,000.
Published: Fri 8 Feb 2019, 3:34 PM
A Dubai resident called the police on two men right before they could trick her into signing a forged tenancy contract and losing Dh60,000 worth of rent, a court has heard.
The Court of First Instance was told the Syrian complainant foiled the men's bid to swindle her. A 36-year-old Indian man allegedly tried to defraud her of Dh60,000 by falsely claiming that he was the owner of the flat being rented. He was charged at a Dubai court on Thursday; his accomplice remains at large.
According to public prosecution records, the man and his accomplice forged a copy of a title deed for a residential unit. They two men claimed that the documents were issued by the Land Department.
He was charged with forgery, use of a fake document and attempted fraud.
The case dates back to August 5, 2017.
The complainant, a 27-year-old woman, said that she was looking for a flat to rent in 2017. "I had a contact on WhatsApp who worked as a real estate agent. He told me about an available flat in Downtown Dubai. He showed me the unit and we agreed on a Dh60,000 rent."
She told the prosecution investigator that she was later introduced to the defendant who posed as the flat owner. "We sat down at a café along Sheikh Zayed Road to sign the tenancy contract. The agent handed me a copy of the defendant's passport, a title deed, an Ejari contract; papers which were in the name of the accused."
She recounted how she found out that the real estate unit was registered in another man's name. While she was still seated with them, she cross-checked the details of the unit on the Land Department's website.
"I did not let them notice me calling the police. As the police patrol car arrived, the agent fled the scene while the defendant was caught," she recalled.
A letter from the Land Department said that they did not issue the title deed that the defendant used. According to the department, the Ejari document (the tenancy contract registration certificate) could not be tracked or found in their system.
The defendant will be sentenced on February 21.
mary@khaleejtimes.com
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