Tourist lured to ‘massage’ robbed at knifepoint

An unsuspecting tourist was lured to a Dubai hotel room with the promise of a massage from a woman he met online, only to be robbed of all his cash at knifepoint by a gang of criminals.

Dubai Criminal Court heard that three Nigerians, a man and two women aged between 26 and 37, snared the victim by starting a social media account using an image of a blonde woman.

On September 14 last year, the Saudi victim, 21, went to a hotel room in Al Rifaa and asked for the woman before one of the offenders pushed him inside and the other two burst out of a bathroom.

The victim tried to escape but was attacked by the man, who pointed a knife at him and threatened his life.

“He pushed me to the ground, gagged me, repeatedly punched my face and threatened to slaughter me before they all stole my cash and belongings,” the victim said.

The court heard that the male attacker acted as a bodyguard for the two women, who worked in the sex industry, and ften forced clients to pay.

The women fled with the victim’s Dh1,200, iPhone, charger, passport and ATM card, and left their accomplice with the victim, whose screams alerted hotel security. Police were called and the man was arrested. The women were arrested a few days later.

In court in March, the man admitted facilitating prostitution while the two women admitted selling their bodies.

The three were sentenced to a year in prison to be followed by deportation.