From fine to jail term: Dubai court imposes heavier penalty on man for participation in kidnapping, death threat case

The Dubai Court of Appeal has increased a ruling imposed by the Court of First Instance against a man, from just a fine to three years imprisonment, for hiding money stolen by members of a gang after they kidnapped an investor and threatened him with death.

The Court of Appeal also upheld the imprisonment of three others for seven years, along with fining them a joint sum of Dh1.9 million, followed by deportation from the state once they complete their sentences.

Case files show that the incident took place in Downtown Dubai, when an investor asked his driver to drive him to his workplace in the gold market. The investor, of Asian descent, claims the driver suddenly stopped the vehicle, claiming that it was malfunctioning, and got out of the vehicle. The victim was then ambushed by members of a gang who beat him and threatened him with a knife.

He claims that two of the members told him they were policemen and that he was under arrest, and he must enter their vehicle. When he refused, the men assaulted the victim and forced him into the car. The gang members then asked for Dh4 million in exchange for sparing his life, and so the victim contacted his wife and friend to provide the amount.

The investor requested his friend to hand over the amount to the gang members in cash. However, when the latter provided Dh1.7 million, the gang members demanded more, requiring the investor to contact one of his employees for an additional Dh200,000 from the company's treasury.

Upon receiving the money, the gang members handcuffed the victim, tied his feet together, blindfolded him, and drove his vehicle to the side of a street, proceeding to leave him there. The victim managed to untie his hands and go to the police station, where he filed a report about the incident.

According to police records, the CID team collected evidence and located the driver and his two partners, and they were all arrested. Dh1.6 million were found in a farm where the fourth accused works.

In the investigations, the first defendant, the "driver", admitted planning the crime of robbing the investors with the others because he was wealthy. Meanwhile, the fourth convict denied his participation in the crime and his knowledge of the plan, claiming he was present at the farm because he is friends with the driver. The court, however, convicted the men, and passed its ruling.

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• UAE
• Dubai