Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter
The Dubai Court of Misdemeanor sentenced an Arab to one month in jail and fined him Dhs10,000 for defrauding a GCC citizen in a deal for selling US dollars in exchange for the local currency at less than the exchange rate offered in exchange companies.
He will be deported after serving his jail sentence. The verdict was upheld by the court of appeal.
The case dates back to September last year when a GCC citizen filed a complaint in which he stated that an Arab had stolen Dhs10,000 from him.
The complainant stated that while he was browsing Facebook, he came across an ad offering US dollars in the same exchange rate of the local currency.
The complainant contacted the advertiser, who confirmed the news, and agreed with him to exchange Dhs10,000.
The complainant stated in the interrogations that he agreed with the defendant to buy the amount in the same price stated in the ad.
The two parties agreed on a time and a place to execute the deal through Messenger.
With Dhs10,000 in his possession, the complainant arrived at the agreed place and described his car to the defendant but the latter took him by surprise and snatched his money before he threw a bundle of money, which was later found to be fake, and fled the place.
According to the official documents, a team of detectives gathered inferences and managed to identify the suspect and others involved in similar cases. The defendants were arrested one after the other.
The defendant stated that he came to the country on a visit visa a year ago and was working with a group of Arabs inside the country and another group outside the country to lure those who were interested in exchanging the currency for less than its usual price.
The defendant admitted that he lured the complainant and stole Dhs10,000 from him after he had agreed with him to exchange the amount for $10,000.