Businessman, workers sued for beating clients

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

 A businessman and his workers kidnapped and battered clients on suspicion they installed decryption software targeting a gambling game in the businessman’s gaming devices, a jury heard on Thursday.

The Asian businessman, 32, and his workers –a visitor, 33, and his peer, 37- with the help of other gang members abducted the Chinese victim, 54, and his compatriot friend, 40, at around 9:30pm on Feb.27.

The incident happened at the businessman’s electronic games hub in the International City’s Chinese Cluster. The businessman seized the victim and his workers rained punches and kicks on his body parts. The victim’s friend tried to rescue him. They smashed his phone. They took both away while threatening to kill them and bury them in the desert unless they paid Dhs100, 000. Criminal Court hearing continues.

On the record, the victim said he went to hub, paid Dhs200 and started playing. He found his friend there. “We were busy playing when I heard an employee ordering us to get out. I paid no heed and continued playing.

“Someone slapped my neck from behind and I fell down. He turned out to be the hub owner, the businessman. He told me the slap was a reward for having declined to obey him. The other defendants and other men kicked me.

“My friend tried to help me get up. He had a phone in his hand. The visitor grabbed the phone and smashed it on the ground. He punched my left cheek and left eye. They seized me and shoved me inside a car.” They also dragged his friend and showed him inside. They transported them around town for more than forty minutes while threatening that they were taking them to a desert area to kill and bury them there.  

They took them inside a building and confined each one to a room for around one hour. “I overheard someone saying I had to pay Dhs100, 000 or be handed to the police. They were taking us back inside the car when policemen arrived.”

His friend narrated, “They transported us around without talking to us apart from issuing death threats. They said they were taking us to a desert. Later, the visitor got me out of the room. Police arrested him outside. I saw the victim inside an ambulance.”

An Emirati police officer testified that the defendant upon arrest said the victims caused him loses after installing a decryption program that targeted a gambling game that he stored in his video game devices.