Officer says two men fled scene of attempted kidnap

DUBAI // A soldier and a salesman are on the run from police after driving off from the scene of an attempted abduction, a court was told yesterday. UK, 31, from Uzbekistan, denied a charge of trying to kidnap a man identified as Qadi Hanif on March 19. He was charged at the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance along with two Emiratis, the soldier AM, 35, and the salesman MM, 26, who have not been apprehended. AM also was charged with stealing Dh200 from Mr Hanif.

A police patrol officer told prosecutors that he had seen a car parked in front of the Sheraton Deira Hotel with the passenger door open. "I saw two men forcefully pushing a man into the car," the officer said. He said he followed the car, which he said was being driven by AM, and signalled it to stop. "The driver came out of the car and presented a violation ticket to me claiming that his licence had been confiscated pending an unpaid fine," the officer said. He asked the men why they had forced someone into the car, and also asked for their identification.

"The driver said the man inside was their friend and that they were only joking with him because they paid him Dh200 for a phone credit transfer and he kept the money," the officer said. The officer took Mr Hanif and UK to the patrol car, and told the two Emiratis to follow him to the police station. However, they drove off and have not been found, according to court records. Presiding Judge Fahmy Mounir Fahmy adjourned the case to September 22. @Email:[e-mail]