DUBAI// Three men posed as police officers to extort millions of dirhams from a businessman they claimed was running an illegal bootlegging business, the Dubai Criminal Court heard on Sunday.
Emiratis H A, 42 and S M, 32, and Pakistani N H, 45, both denied impersonating police officers, as well as illegally confining their victim with handcuffs, illegally obtaining Dh1.7 million from their victim and attempting to obtain Dh3m more.
Prosecutors said that on June 25 last year, the defendants went to a workshop and told its owner, partner and manager that they were police officers investigating bootlegging activities.
They told the manager, A M, 35, from India, that they knew he and his business partners had made Dh2.5m in profits.
H A said they would not make any arrests if they were paid a bribe.
A M suggested Dh20,000 but the defendants demanded Dh1.7m.
“They told me that I could go to jail for 25 years and that I would be tortured and my nails pulled out,” A M said.
After selling a plot of land and a yacht, A M was able to pay them off.
But soon after, A H returned to say his boss had demanded Dh3m more.
Not having this amount of money, A M went to the police, who arrested H A in a sting operation at a mall. The other two defendants were also arrested soon after.
Police seized Dh980,000 at the home of A H, Dh63,300 at S M’s house and Dh51,000 at N H’s.
The next hearing will be on March 16.
salamir@thenational.ae
