Six charged over knife-point robbery of Dh3.6m from Dubai exchange house employees

The African men are said to have arranged to exchange $1 million into dirhams but tied up and gagged the employees when the arrived at a hotel room to do the transaction.

DUBAI // Six men are accused of stealing Dh3.6 million from exchange-house employees at knife-point during a supposed money transfer.

Prosecutors told Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday that the defendants – four from Cameroon and two from Mali, all aged between 29 and 38 – contacted an employee at the exchange house in Al Muraqqabat on February 15 and ordered the exchange of US$1 million (Dh3.673m) into dirhams.

“A friend of mine called me about the exchange of $1m. It was a good deal since at this time very few customers would approach us with this big amount but, at the time, we didn’t have the amount ready at the exchange house,” said the Indian employee, 30.

He said that he made calls to arrange for the equivalent amount in dirhams.

“I arranged with my friend to meet with the customer at a hotel room and, when we got there, the defendants were there and one of them took out a money pack from a bag he had. When he reached with his hand inside the bag again, I was expecting another money pack but, to my surprise, he took out a knife,” the Indian said.

He said that the defendants threatened him and his friend with the knife, then used duct tape to gag them before tying them up and running away with the money as well as the two victims’ mobile phones.

The men managed to untie themselves and called police from the hotel room.

Police managed to identify one defendant who dropped off the six men at the hotel. He was arrested and found to have Dh56,000 in his possession.

He helped police arrest another defendant, who was caught with Dh21,000. Two other defendants were arrested in Al Ain on February 21 in possession of nearly Dh100,000, while the rest were arrested later the same day.

Police said that the men willingly admitted the armed robbery during questioning. One of them said that he was only a driver and was paid Dh100,000 in return for driving the other men to their destination, while another said that he acted as a look-out and was paid Dh100,000 for that.

In court on Thursday two defendants were not present. Two others showed up and admitted to an armed robbery charge, while another two denied a charge of possessing stolen money.

“We did it but the rest of the defendants have nothing to do with it and were not even with us at the time of the incident,” said two defendants in court through a translator.

The next hearing will be on May 11.