DUBAI // A grocery shop owner who would take his daily income home to prevent it from being stolen was robbed in the street by three men after he shut up shop for the day.
Prosecutors told Dubai Criminal Court that Pakistanis NM, 32, ZM, 23, and 33-year-old WM waited for Indian shopkeeper MA, 44, as he locked up in the early hours of September 14.
The defendants are then accused of attacking the man, who was carrying a small bag containing takings of Dh65,000.
“I put the income in a bag and take it home with me then bring it back the next morning but, as I reached a sandy patch opposite my building, three masked men attacked me with iron bars,” said the shopkeeper.
“They hit me on the head and all over my body and, as they did, they tried to pull the bag out of my hands but I kept holding on to it.”
The assault continued and his cries for help were not heeded.
“Only then one of them managed to grab the bag out of my hand and run with it and, when the other two saw that he got the bag, they followed him,” said MA, who, despite his pain, gave chase.
A number of men who were passing by helped him capture the thief and, as they did, the bag opened up and all the cash was scattered over the street.
The shopkeeper called police as defendant NM was restrained.
“He told police everything,” said MA, who was referred to Rashid Hospital for treatment.
Police then arrested the other two defendants and referred them to prosecutors, who charged them all with armed robbery.
The trio confessed to the charge in court and await a verdict on January 4.
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
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1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
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The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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