Khaleej Times

Arrested for kidnap and robbery after 4 years

- Amira Agarib amira@khaleejtim­es.com

sharjah — A Pakistani fugitive, MA, sentenced to five years in jail in absentia for kidnapping and robbing a man in 2014, was arrested by the Sharjah Police and stood trial at the Sharjah Criminal Court.

The public prosecutio­n had charged him and the co-accused — EA — in 2014. In October 2015, the court had handed five years’ of imprisonme­nt to the duo. Seven days after he was freed, the victim — MB — informed the Sharjah Police that he was kidnapped on October 21, 2014 from Sharjah Industrial Area as he came out of his house at 9am. While getting inside his car, the duo approached him for a lift. Suddenly, one of them brandished a knife and asked him to drive towards Jebel Ali area in Dubai. They demanded Dh400,000 from him as ransom. The victim called the driver of the company, told him to get a cheque, encash it from a bank and hand over the money to the accused standing opposite Al Qasimi Hospital.

During police interrogat­ion, the co-accused had confessed that the mastermind of the plan was the fugitive. He said after the victim had driven for some distance, they dragged him into the car’s backseat and tied him up. The duo threatened him to pay the ransom at knifepoint. The first accused said that they also stole his mobile phone and credit card, with which they bought four mobile phones worth Dh5,900 each. They took away the Dh1,500 kept in his wallet. He said that they forced the victim call the company’s driver who brought Dh23,000. After bargaining, the victim agreed to pay Dh100,000.

He added that the Pakistani fugitive had threatened the victim that he would kill him and his children if he did not pay the money.

Later, the duo released the victim on Sharjah-Dubai border.

The first accused said that days after they freed the victim, he called the victim to pay him Dh5,000. When he went to collect the money, the accused was arrested by the police.

He (first accused) had threatened to kill the victim and his children if he did not pay up the ransom.” EA, co-accused

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