Expat trips up sprinting thief, saves cash bag
It was an ordinary day in Deira, until Jaffer Parapurath saw a man running at top speed towards him — carrying a cover full of cash. Behind him was a group of people yelling ‘Thief! Thief!’
In a split second, Jaffer did what he had to do: He stretched out his leg just in time for the man to trip and fall face-first.
“I wanted to catch him, but realised he was running too fast. So, I just extended my foot and he tripped. My brother, Najeeb, also threw a chair in his path,” he told Khaleej Times.
The Bani Yas action scene — featuring Jaffer’s heroic move — was captured on a CCTV camera on the street. The footage has gone viral since.
Aquick-thinking expat helped foil a robbery attempt in Dubai. The 40-year-old from the south Indian state of Kerala, Jaffer Parapurath, was at his uncle’s cafeteria in Deira’s Bani Yas, when he saw a man fleeing with a cover full of cash. He was being chased by a group of people yelling ‘thief’.
As he saw the suspect run towards him, Jaffer extended his foot, making the former trip and fall face-first.
Jaffer told Khaleej Times: “The thief was being chased. I wanted to catch him, but realised he was running too fast. So, I just extended my foot and he tripped. My brother, Najeeb, also threw a chair in his path. The thief fell because of a combination of these two factors.”
A group of people then restrained the suspect and called the police.
They handed the suspect over to the police after they arrived.
The stolen amount was returned to the owner. Jaffer said the incident happened around 2.30pm on April 12.
He is currently in the UAE on a visit visa. “I was in the UAE for nearly 20 years, but lost my job because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I have come back to try my luck and get a job as a driver,” Jaffer added.
The thief was being chased. I wanted to catch him, but realised he was running too fast. So, I just extended my foot and he tripped. My brother also threw a chair in his path.” Jaffer Parapurath, Indian expat