Pavel Durov said measures were taken immediately to stop 'a flurry of unknown users posting messages appearing to call for violence'
The court heard how the 45-year-old man, a Yemeni executive manager, had lured the woman into transferring up to Dh235,000 in cash to him after promising to marry her. He had posed as an Emirati national to her and gave her a false name. The man talked her into paying him the amounts by claiming it would go to furnish their "marital house" and help solve his own financial problems.
At some point, the defendant started to threaten the woman that he would contact her brother and send him the photos she had sent to him if she did not pay him more money.
He also threatened to defame the woman with the video clips she had sent him and verbally abused her in voice notes on WhatsApp.
The case dates back to August 28 last year. It was registered at Al Barsha police station.
The complainant, a 32-year-old Emirati, said that she had met the accused on a marriage website. "He gave me a false name then, claiming to be an Emirati. He proposed to me in April last year. With time, our relation got stronger and we exchanged mobile numbers after he gained my trust. He would ask me for money on different occasions and I would help him. I issued many cheques to him for rent and other matters."
She told the investigator how the defendant would stop communicating with her and then regain contact with her by the time she received her salary. "He would threaten to tell my brother about our relation and send him a photo I had sent him if I did not pay him the money he wanted. I issued several cheques to him until I could no longer take it."
She told the investigator that she had given her brother's numbers to the accused to discuss about their marriage. She said that she transferred Dh235,000 in cash to the accused and issued him many cheques and paid him an additional Dh2,000.
The woman presented her mobile phone to the investigator as it had WhatsApp conversations relevant to the case.
The conversations showed that the defendant was repeatedly asking to borrow money from the complainant, which contradicts his claims that she owed him Dh50,000.
The trial has been adjourned to October 13.
mary@khaleejtimes.com
Pavel Durov said measures were taken immediately to stop 'a flurry of unknown users posting messages appearing to call for violence'
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