Man accused of swindling two women acquitted

dubai — An Emirati man was cleared on Tuesday of the charges of swindling two women of Dh247,000 and Dh10,000 respectively after introducing himself as a renowned footballer and pretending he was up for marriage.

The public prosecution documents show the 29-year-old jobless gave his personal information to a matchmaker and introduced himself as a local club’s international footballer who was seeking a wife with certain descriptions.

Apart from the fraud charge, the defendant was also charged with blackmailing and threatening the first complainant that he would jail her and defame her in front of her parents. He allegedly made the threats in text and voice messages via WhatsApp so that to intimidate her into dropping her accusations at the police station. The Court of First Instance acquitted him of all charges.

The first woman, who fell victim to the ‘false suitor’s fake promises’, is a 36-year-old employee. She said she gave him Dh247,000 after he told he would open a car washing shop to secure their future together. The other complainant, a 23-year-old Emirati employee, said the accused contacted her and fooled her he loved her and wanted to marry her. He managed to collect Dh10,000 from her, she claimed. The ruling may be appealed by the public prosecution.