2 brothers accused of kidnapping porter

Along with two friends, they took him to desert and threatened to kill him over unpaid loan

Two brothers and their two friends have been accused of kidnapping a porter in a car and driving to a deserted area where they threatened to kill him over an unpaid loan.

The 33-year-old Pakistani porter was said to have borrowed Dh6,600 from his countrymen brothers, aged 43 and 35, when he first arrived in the UAE last year.

When he was late in repaying the loan to the two brothers, according to records, the brothers and their two Pakistani friends lured the porter into their car when they saw him near his residence at Dubai International City in April.

The four men called the porter to their vehicle saying they wanted to take him to the police for failing to repay his debt.

Instead of heading to the police station, the quartet drove towards an unpopulated sandy area in Al Khawaneej at 10pm and threatened at knifepoint to kill the porter if he did not repay Dh6,600.

Shortly after, the porter was dropped back at his house. He later went to the nearest police station where he complained that he had been kidnapped and threatened. Police apprehended the four men and referred them to the Public Prosecution.

Prosecutors accused the suspects of kidnapping the porter with deception and using physical force. One of the friends, aged 27, was solely accused of threatening to kill the porter with a knife if he did not return the loan.

The four suspects pleaded guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors tricked the porter when they claimed to him that they wanted to take him to the police for not repaying the loan to the brothers and talked him into riding with them. Then they drove to a distant area where they threatened him verbally and with a knife.

The presiding judge said court will appoint a lawyer to defend the suspects when it reconvenes on August 13.