Dubai, December 11: A clerk alleged that an African man armed with a pepper spray snatched Dh2.6 million in a scam deal of money exchange with African visitors.
On Thursday, two Cameroonian nationals and a Sudanese, all visitors, went on trial in the court of First Instance on charges of possession of fake $100 bills for circulation.
One of the Cameroonians was charged with robbing Dh2 million with the use of a pepper spray after getting help from two others.
Seven other defendants, including a Nigerian visitor, a Sudanese visitor, an Ethiopian housemaid, a Sudanese shopkeeper, two Cameroonian visitors and a Tunisian executive manager were each charged with possession of part of the stolen money while aware of the crime.
The 29-year-old Tunisian clerk claimed that he was contacted by two Africans who wanted to exchange dollars for dirhams without going through the money exchange offices.
On May 12, he met with the two African absconders and three other men, including two Cameroonians and a Sudanese, in the parking lot of Etisalat office in Al Baraha. The clerk, who brought his Palestinian friend along, was carrying Dh2.6 million.
He was showed a suitcase with dollars and was made to show that he did carry the money.
“My friend went with the Africans to check whether the dollars were authentic at an exchange office while one of them, a Cameroon national, remained with me,” the Tunisian told the police.
Then the Tunisian alleged that the Cameroonian visitor took him by surprise when he sprayed pepper into his eyes and he lost vision for a brief period. The Cameroonian snatched the bag containing Dh2 million from him. The remaining Dh600,000, which they had earlier taken as commission for the exchange deal, was also kept by the Cameroonian’s friends.
The clerk’s Palestinian friend alleged that he was also sprayed with pepper. The defendants dumped the counterfeit $100 bills in some garbage bins and manholes nearby.
According to the report of the General Department of Criminal Evidence, the bag of fake dollar bills was found to contain packets and paper used commonly in multiplying money.
–Agencies