Man goes for massage in Dubai hotel, gets robbed

Dubai - The duo used a European woman's identity online to lure the man into a massage date.

A man and a woman stood trial in the Court of First Instance for allegedly luring a man into a massage date before robbing him.
The duo used a European woman's identity online to lure the 67-year-old Iranian manager into a massage date. They locked him up and robbed him of cash and valuables.
According to public prosecution records, the two Nigerians, aged 26 and 32, locked the manager up against his will when he entered their hotel room. They assaulted him and robbed him of Dh39,900, his watch and two mobile phones. They also forcibly took off his clothes and snapped a photo of him threatening they would circulate it if he reported them to the police.
The woman, who is still at large, has been tried in absentia.
The pair has been charged with forcible robbery, physical assault, illegal confinement, breach of privacy, blackmail, and sexual assault.
The incident was reported to Al Muraqqabat police station in November 2017.
"I was browsing the internet on November 24, last year, when I found an ad about massage services at a nearby hotel," said the victim.
"When I went to the place I called a number and the woman who answered told me to go to the sixth floor."
He recounted that an African woman opened the door for him and she was obviously not the same woman he had a date with. "She locked the door and several persons pulled me inside the room. They then took me by force inside the bathroom where they snatched my wallet and mobile phones," he said.
They also strangled him with his underwear and coerced him to reveal his bank details.
As his head was covered, one of the suspects put a knife on his neck and threatened to kill him if he did not reveal his bank details. They also poured cold water on his body.
They fled the room after withdrawing money from his bank accounts.
He went out of the bathroom later and he informed the reception. "I was told they had checked out after paying the hotel booking dues. I filed a complaint at the police station," he told the prosecutor.
The first accused was arrested after the bank CCTV camera showed him withdrawing the money from the manager's account.
The latter identified him when he was shown a photograph of the suspect.
The trial has been adjourned to March 29.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai