Investor jailed for robbing jobseeker during ‘interview’

dubai — A man, who was accused of luring a job-seeker to an interview before beating her up and robbing her of cash, has been sentenced to one year in jail by a Dubai court. Prosecutors accused the 39-year-old Bangladeshi investor of robbing Dh4,000 in cash and a necklace worth Dh1,800 from the victim after luring her to come to his apartment by offering her a job at his shop.

The incident that took place on September 27 was reported at the Bur Dubai police station. The defendant denied at the Court of First Instance a robbery charge. He was found guilty and will be deported after completing his jail term.

The 28-year-old complainant, an Ethiopian, said that a day earlier, she was shopping at a supermarket when the defendant approached her. “He said he owned a shop and was looking for a vendor. He invited me for an interview and gave me the location.”

However, when she went to the address he had given her, she found it was an apartment and saw many women of different nationalities there. “He told me I could join them and work in prostitution and earn money out of it. I got mad and as I tried to leave, I found the door was locked,” she told the public prosecution investigator.

The accused then assaulted her and grabbed her neck with both his hands. He snatched her purse and when she called the police, he ran away.

The defendant was apprehended on October 3. The ruling has been appealed by both the defendant and the public prosecution.