Expats con 'crying woman' into paying Dh240,000 outside Dubai court

Dubai - The accused offered to clear her husband's cases.

Two men stood trial for stealing Dh240,500 from a woman, claiming they could help clear her husband's court cases.
The accusers took advantage of the victim's vulnerable state, who they saw was crying outside a Dubai court. The duo managed to convince her that they could reduce her husband's sentence from prison time to paying a fine.
One of the accusers, a Gulf national, claimed that his brother works at Dubai Police and he can help her out, Emarat Al Youm reported.
According to the public prosecution's investigation, the accusers forged a receipt issued by the Dubai court and used it to convince the victim that they had changed her husband's verdict.
The 50-year-old victim said she was near the gate of the Dubai court when the second accused, an Asian, approached her. She was attending her husband's trial, who was being held for cheque default cases.
The second defendant told her it was difficult to release her husband as he was involved in multiple cases. However, he claimed that he could help her settle all his cases.
The victim said that her husband was released on bail on the same day of his court hearing. She went to the court a couple of days later with one of the defendants to pay a fine for two cases worth Dh55,000. The defendant gave her a receipt every time they went to pay a fine for her husband's cases.
One of the accusers also claimed they can help the victim with her visa renewal for Dh30,000, but he never renewed her husband's visa and he was arrested again. The victim went to the defendant for help after her husband's arrest and he asked her for Dh50,000 to clear his case and hire a lawyer.
The victim reportedly said that she tried to communicate with the second defendant after that incident but he did not respond. The court then found out that the defendants had not paid anything to the court and that she had been a victim of fraud.
The victim's husband met with the defendant, who claimed to know people in Dubai Police. He confessed to taking Dh240,500 from his wife. The accused was captured and sent to the central prison. It was reported that the defendants had fraudulently taken money from other victims in the past.

• Dubai