Dubai: Man fined Dh5,000 for using Instagram to lure minor into indecent acts

A man of Asian nationality has been convicted in Dubai for using his Instagram account to lure a minor into committing indecent acts. The crime was discovered following an alert from an international child protection agency. 

The Court of First Instance fined the man Dh5,000 and ordered the confiscation of his mobile phone. The Court of Appeal later upheld the ruling.

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According to case records, the incident began in December last year when the International Child Protection Centre in the United States notified UAE authorities that a Dubai resident had been engaging in inappropriate online communication with a minor. The alert stated that the suspect had sent sexually explicit images and videos to a girl and encouraged her to perform indecent acts during phone conversations.

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A Dubai Police investigator testified that the cybercrime team traced the Instagram account to the defendant. He was summoned for questioning, where he denied the accusations. His mobile phone was seized and forwarded to the forensic laboratory for analysis.

The forensic report revealed that the device contained 18 explicit video files, along with multiple chat exchanges in which the defendant urged the minor to film herself in indecent positions and send him the content. The report also documented conversations showing repeated attempts to persuade the girl to engage in inappropriate conduct via phone.

In its judgment, the court stated that the defendant had used Instagram as a means to exploit a minor, soliciting immoral content through voice messages and private chats. The digital evidence retrieved from his phone directly contradicted his denial of the charges.

The Court of First Instance found him guilty of inciting a minor to commit acts contrary to public morals, imposing a Dh5,000 fine and ordering the confiscation of his device. The Court of Appeal confirmed the conviction, ruling that the forensic findings and chat records formed conclusive evidence of his involvement.

Authorities reiterated the UAE’s strict stance against crimes involving the exploitation of minors and urged parents to monitor children’s online interactions, emphasising the importance of reporting suspicious digital activity.