Man jailed for bid to circulate fake $100 bills in Dubai

Dubai - The Dubai Court of First Instance has ordered the defendant to pay a Dh5,000 fine.

A Nigerian man, who was caught with 307 fake $100 bills, has been sentenced to one year in prison. At the time of his arrest, his compatriot accomplice had managed to flee.
The 43-year-old defendant, who was on a visit visa, is also accused of swindling an Iranian man of $2,600 after his female accomplice - who is also at large - convinced the victim her $1 million was seized by the customs department at the Dubai International Airport. The accomplice claimed she needed the $2,600 for clearance transaction.
The Dubai Court of First Instance has ordered the defendant to pay a Dh5,000 fine. He will be deported at the end of his prison sentence.
The staff of a hotel in Al Mankhool felt something was fishy after the defendant's friend checked into the hotel on January 25.
"The defendant checked in around 4.15pm at our hotel. Later in the evening, I was informed by the security guards that he had visitors. The visitors were asked on the phone to produce their IDs," the 31-year-old Egyptian assistant manager of the hotel said. "However, a few minutes later, the defendant's friend came down with a suitcase. He pretended he wanted to bring his ID from the car. When I insisted on going with him, he rushed out, leaving his suitcase behind."
The assistant manager called the Naif police and handed over the suitcase to them. The defendant also was arrested then.
The Iranian victim said he had met a Pakistani woman on Facebook about three months prior to the defendant's arrest. "She asked me to help her take a sum exceeding $1 million out of the airport. She told me she had sent the sum from London and it was seized by the customs department. She told me she needed $2,600 to pay the customs fees and clearance procedure."
On instructions from the woman, the victim met the defendant on January 24 and paid him $2,600 after the latter promised to repay it when the sum was released.
The following day, the defendant took him to the hotel where he stayed, claiming he wanted to pay his money back.
"He asked me to sign a paper but I did not as it was in English which I don't understand. Besides, I told him he had not given me a receipt when I paid him the money."
The verdict is subject to appeal.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai