Employee cleared of kidnapping manager

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

An employee suspected to have teamed up with other men to kidnap a manager in Dubai for ransom has been pronounced innocent following his lawyer’s argument.

The Arab employee, 39, first appeared on trial on May 26 on suspicion he and fugitive cohorts kidnapped the Asian manager of a Naif area Abaya shop from behind Al Muqqabat Police Station at 10pm on Mar.20. He allegedly posed as a CID detective, accused the manager of pimping, drug trafficking and hawking visas. He combed his car and snatched Dhs13, 000 plus several passports belonging to Bangladeshi nationals.

They forced him inside their car and drove around town while demanding Dhs50, 000. They allegedly pulled over outside the Dubai Police headquarters. They took him to a parking lot outside Al Aweer Central jail.

His relatives and friends arranged Dhs27, 000 as a down payment to buy his freedom. The defendant received it at a hotel in Al Muteena. Prosecutors demanded the Criminal Court to impose the toughest penalty.

The defendant refuted the allegations. His lawyer cast doubt on the manager’s complaint. He said suspicion hovered around the victim. He concocted the case to evade accountability, having been dealing in illicit visa sales.

“Had they wanted to kidnap him they would have lured him to a remote area. He claimed they kidnapped him behind the police station. On the way he received a call that his car was parked wrongly. They drove back.

“They took it with them to the police headquarters’ parking. From there, they took him to the central jail’s parking. There is no surveillance evidence to prove such an incident happened at the maximum security places!

“During interrogations he said they went to a fuel station and he spotted a patrol but feared to shout for help. They took him to a shop and gave him a sandwich. Imagine someone kidnapped, sitting to enjoy a sandwich.

“He failed to scream or wreak havoc to attract anyone’s attention! He claimed they kept slapping him. But, there is no report to prove he suffered any injury or bruise. In reality, he was found with 10 passports and suspicious cash.

“He failed to explain why he had the passports. He wanted to evade being charged with hawking visas. That’s why he later waived his complaint. The waiver is attached to the case files,” the lawyer argued before the jury.

The jury has pronounced him innocent.