Trader robbed at prostitution den stands trial in Dubai

A policeman said the robbery incident was reported at 2.30pm in Al Quoz.- Alamy Image

A car trader, who got robbed of over Dh50,000 after going to a flat to allegedly have sex with a prostitute, faced trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday (August 25).
The 45-year-old Iraqi trader was charged with inciting prostitution.
Prosecutors' investigation show that on April 17, the defendant had agreed to have paid sex with a woman at a flat that was being run as a prostitution den.
When he reached the place, he was assaulted by a group of women and robbed him of cash.
The Iraqi man - who came to Dubai on a visit visa - told the prosecutor that he met the woman online.
"She claimed she was a Swedish student. We then spoke on the phone. She told me that she wanted to meet me in Dubai as I was staying in Sharjah," he said.
On the day of the incident, he went to Dubai to collect an amount of Dh155,000, wired from Iraq.
"I was about to go back to Sharjah when she called and invited me to a flat in Al Quoz."
As soon as he got inside, five African women grabbed him and dragged him into a room.
"They knocked me down and began slapping me. They told me to give them all the cash I got," he recounted during the investigation.
He said he took Dh1,600 out of his pocket, but they wanted more.
"They searched my belongings and found Dh55,975, and they were very happy with it. I was so scared they would kill me. I made them believe I was short of breath so they would let me leave. I also asked them to give me some money to pay for a cab. I did not want them to know I was carrying another Dh100,000," he recalled.
The women gave him Dh600 and let him go.
He went to the security guard and waited outside the flat until the police arrived.
"Two suspects had already left, while two others were caught as they were trying to jump out of a window," the trader said.
A policeman said the robbery incident was reported at 2.30pm in Al Quoz.
"We arrested three female suspects while they were trying to flee. The man said they were among the women who assaulted and robbed him of cash."
The defendant will be sentenced on August 28.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

Marie Nammour

mary@khaleejtimes.com