Two Arabs get 3 years for robbing bank client

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

Two street robbers who mugged a bank client and took Dhs50,000 will spend three years behind bars to be followed by deportation, the Dubai Criminal Court ruled.

The Arab defendant, 31, and his colleague, 35, who masterminded the robbery, waylaid the Indian manager, 55, after he walked out a bank in Al Rifa’a area at around 2pm on April 11, he complained to the police.

The defendant repeatedly punched his face and the colleague kicked him to the ground. They sped off on a bike ridden by the colleague. They had stolen it from Sharjah and fixed number plates stolen from another.

The defendant confessed and testified against the colleague. The manager recognised the colleague during a parade. Prosecutors sued them on Jul.28 demanding the toughest punishment applicable over the heist.

On the record, he walked out of the bank carrying the sum in a parcel. Upon reaching an intersection, the defendant showed up, punched him and seized the parcel. The manager tried to stop him from snatching it.

The defendant rained more punches in his face and managed to snatch it. The defendant’s colleague arrived on a bike and pulled over on the roadside. The defendant dashed and jumped onto the bike’s rear seat.

The manager rushed and tried his level best to stop them from escaping but they joined hands to assault him before the colleague could thrust a strong kick on him that forced him to give up. They sped and disappeared.   An Emirati lieutenant said detectives seized the bike that turned out to have been stolen from Sharjah. It bore number plates stolen from another bike belonging to a restaurant. Police involved sources in the search.

A source revealed the defendant and his colleague were the robbers. A police team traced the defendant and nabbed him inside his apartment in Sharjah on April 28. They caught him with Dhs3,900 and Euro450. He admitted and revealed he was with his colleague who was a repeat offender earlier deported over a wave of similar robberies. He explained that the colleague had met him and sought his help in robbing bank clients. 

They rode to Al Rifa’a area, monitored the manager and pursued him. The defendant grabbed the parcel. When the manager resisted, he rained punches in his face. The colleague joined the assault to get rid of the manager.

They sped off with the parcel and discovered it contained Dhs50,000. The colleague who masterminded the robbery gave the defendant a Dhs23,500 cut. In the evening, the colleague asked the defendant to relinquish Dhs16,500.