Corrupt police officer set up fake arrest as part of theft plot

A disgraced police officer who orchestrated a fake arrest in order to cheat a man out of hundreds of thousands of dirhams has been jailed and sacked from his job.

The corrupt Dubai Police employee masterminded a plot in which two accomplices, from Cameroon, acted as currency dealers in a cash exchange with a Pakistani victim.

The Emirati first lieutenant, 41, directed the two men to offer the currency buyer Dh272,000 in return for $150,000 (Dh550,000), Dubai Criminal Court heard.

“I heard about the two Cameroonian men offering better rates from a friend and I contacted them,” said the 25-year-old Pakistani.

On April 8 of this year, the victim met with the pair in Al Bahara to complete the transaction, only for the Emirati officer to arrive in a police car along with two other men, a 42-year-old from Palestine and a man holding a Comoros Island passport, 43.

The trio posed as CID officers and pretended to take the Pakistani man and the two Cameroonian defendants into custody on suspicion of illegal currency sale and took the cash for evidence.

Once they had the money in their possession, the offenders fled the scene, leaving the duped Pakistani empty-handed.

Court records stated that the Cameroon men were paid Dh15,000 each for their role in the crime, with the Palestine man pocketing Dh72,000 and the Comoros Islands national picking up Dh60,800.

The police officer kept the remaining share of the money.

The victim reported the matter to police, who arrested the perpetrators following an investigation.

"He is not a CID officer and works at the correctional establishments. His duties do not include making arrests," said an Emirati policeman.

When questioned, the first lieutenant initially denied the crime and insisted he did not know the other defendants.

The testimonies of his co-accused confirmed his involvement, said an Emirati police captain.

The police captain said when the theft was reported, the accused officer contacted his partners in crime in a bid to get them to return the money.

"The four other defendants said they all received calls from him asking that they return the money and not to get in touch with him at that time," said the captain.

In court last September, all five men denied charges of theft.

The policeman and two others were additionally charged with posing as CID officers which they also denied.

The Cameroonian defendants denied additional charge of aiding and abetting.

They were all convicted of all charges and sentenced to three years in prison each.

The expatriate defendants will also be deported after serving their prison terms.