Worker uses friend's ID to buy 4 SIM cards in Dubai, jailed

Dubai - He has been ordered to pay Dh150,000 fine

A 36-year-old Pakistani worker has been sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay a Dh150,000 fine, after a Dubai court found him guilty of criminal complicity in forgery and fraud.
The worker was accused of helping an unknown runaway forge electronic documents of a telecommunication provider after using an access privilege - which his Indian accomplice had - and falsify details of four applications to issue four SIM cards in another man's name.
The false details were consequently entered in the e-system by staff members who were unaware of the crime.
He was also found guilty of criminal complicity in the wrongful use of another person's ID (he allegedly gave the victim's ID to the runaway accused), breach of trust and embezzling Dh5,000 his friend entrusted him with.
The Court of First Instance ordered his deportation after serving his jail term and paying the fine. His 26-year-old accomplice, a salesman, was cleared by the court of criminal complicity in forgery and fraud charges.
The case dates back to March 23, and was reported to Naif police station.
"On March 18, I gave the accused Dh5,000, my passport and Emirates ID to open a traffic file for me at a driving institute," said the Pakistani complainant, a worker, 28.
"However, one week later he gave me back my documents saying he could not open the file for me but would not return the money to me. In addition, I was surprised to find that four mobile numbers were issued in my name."
The complainant denied he had applied for those numbers and accused the defendant of using his ID to get them issued in his name.
A police officer told the prosecutor the Indian salesman used to promote the services of the telecommunication provider in areas such as Al Baraha, Naif, Freej Al Murar and Al Muraqqabat. "When we nabbed him, we found many ID copies stored in his mobile phone photo gallery."
The first accused admitted during the investigation he gave the victim's ID to his accomplice to process four SIM card applications. A copy of that ID was found in the salesman's phone.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai