Dubai cop caught taking bribe in sting operation gets 2-year jail

dubai — A police officer, who accepted a total of Dh10,000 in bribes for unlawful favours, was sentenced to two years in jail by a Dubai court on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Emirati corporal was accused of accepting the money on several occasions to check the criminal status of 17 persons, including the two people sent by the Dubai Police to catch him red-handed.

The money also included Dh2,000 that belonged to the police which he accepted shortly before he was arrested in a sting operation. The Court of First Instance found the corporal guilty of accepting bribes, abuse of post and breach of duties, and disclosing confidential information. It ordered him to pay a Dh10,000 fine.

A Pakistani clerk, 34, and an Indian supervisor, 61, charged in the same case for offering Dh7,500 as bribes to the police officer in exchange for the unlawful favours, were sentenced to one year each in prison to be followed by deportation.

An Indian storekeeper, 44, charged with offering a Dh500 bribe to the officer to tell him whether he was wanted in connection with any criminal case, was sentenced to six-month imprisonment and deportation.

The public prosecution records show the trio offered the officer the money on 15 various occasions to reveal to them the criminal status of 15 expats of different nationalities.

The case unfolded between July 14, 2016, and November 9, 2017, and was registered at Al Rashidiya police station.

A police lieutenant said they investigated the corporal after being tipped-off that he had been abusing his post and the access privilege he got to log into the criminal database for personal gain.

“Our information was that he had two Asian friends. The man would instruct them to bring expats who would want to get informed about their criminal status and whether they are wanted by the authorities. He would solicit and accept money for the information he was revealing,” the lieutenant told the prosecutor.

The police nabbed the Pakistani accused on November 8, 2017, in Al Qusais.

The others were arrested later. The main accused was caught after he requested that the details of an Asian man (name and passport number) be sent to him on WhatsApp and he accepted Dh2,000, which belonged to the police.