Duo accused of kidnapping woman

Emaduddin Khalil, Staff Reporter

Two Asians  have been charged with kidnapping a compatriot woman in their vehicle, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court heard on Monday.

The Public Prosecution accused the defendants of kidnapping the victim by luring her into their vehicle and driving away fast.

During the trial, the defendants denied the charge.

One of the defendants pleaded the victim decided of her own free will to accompany them in their vehicle. And that they did not kidnap her.

The other defendant pleaded he was only driving the vehicle while the first defendant and the victim were interacting in English, which he did not speak.

The court decided to adjourn the hearing to Sept.4. A  lawyer would be delegated to represent the defendants. In another event, the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal decided Monday to adjourn the hearing of a case in which an Asian company owner was charged with issuing a Dhs1 million cheque to a UAE bank and abstaining from settling its value.

The defendant confessed to the charge, but claimed he had paid more than Dhs600,000 to the bank, before a fire broke out in his company that prevented him from settling the remaining amount.

When the court enquired whether he had any proof to support his claim, the defendant said the entire company was gutted in the fire, that destroyed all computers, papers and documents that could prove it.  The court decided to adjourn its verdict to Aug.28.

Recently, Sharjah Police arrested a ten-member Asian gang for possessing and selling counterfeit goods worth Dhs17 million.

The suspects were arrested after a report was filed by a big brand claiming several vendors were promoting and selling fake goods using its name. Brigadier Ahmed Bin Darwish, Director of the Central Region Police Department, stated that officers of Al Madam Police Station started their investigation once the report was filed, and the search lead them to suspects living in a farm, who owned a huge amount of counterfeit goods, for the purpose of selling.

After the police too all legal procedures, the suspects’ residence was raided and they were arrested immediately.  All the fake goods were seized with the co-operation of Sharjah Economic Development Department and Sharjah Municipality. The market value of the seized goods was found to be Dhs17 million.

Bin Darwish emphasised the keenness of Sharjah Police to curb such law-breaking actions and said the police’s aim was to protect and ensure the safety of the UAE society. He also urged all citizens to cooperate and report any similar incidents in order to maintain safety and security of the community.