DUBAI // A 31-year-old Pakistani accused of kidnap and rape has denied ever meeting the alleged victim. The Moroccan was leaving a restaurant in Al Riqqa at nearly 10pm on April 17 when the defendant approached her in his car. He identified himself as a CID officer and asked her about a theft, Dubai Criminal Court was told.
“He told me he was investigating a robbery that was carried out by a number of women and he started showing me pictures of women’s hands,” she said. “Then he said he needed to take a picture of my hand to compare with the other images so I got into his car,” she said. He locked the doors and drove off, she claimed. The defendant then moved the woman to the back seat and raped her, the court heard.
“I screamed but he gagged me, then I tried to hit him but he restrained me. When he was done he dropped me off and said I can take a cab home,” said the woman, adding he also stole her two smartphones worth Dh4,000.
Prosecutors charged him with posing as a CID officer to lure the victim into his car, before kidnapping, raping and robbing her. He denies all charges.
“I am innocent your honour, I don’t have any connection with this woman and I only came to know her after she filed this case. I have never seen her anywhere before, ” he told judges at Dubai Criminal Court.
She reported the incident to police who arrested the defendant the next day. The woman’s phones were found in his possession.
The next hearing will be on September 22.
salamir@thenational.ae
