DUBAI // A woman was sentenced to three years in jail for aiding and abetting two men in robbing nearly Dh3 million from a Chinese businessman.
Dubai Criminal Court sentenced Russians M M, 43, and A S, 35, to 10 years in jail in absentia but Tajik woman Z A, 39, was present and will serve her time.
The court heard that the men attacked Chinese businessman T S at lunchtime on September 25 last year after he had just withdrawn Dh2.8m from a bank.
“I own a company for trading here and I was in Naif when I withdrew some money,” said the victim. “When I was near the Radisson hotel I was surprised by two men, who attacked and assaulted me then snatched the bag of money from my hands and fled.”
He said he could not chase after them due to the injuries they inflicted upon him.
The businessman called police and he told prosecutors that he suspected a man identified as M K might be behind the attack. He has known M K for five years and sometimes called upon him for odd jobs, such as driving him to the bank.
“On two occasions where I did not ask for him to drive me, I got out at the bank to see him right there in the street. I asked him why he was there and he claimed he had driven another customer to the bank,” said T S.
Police investigations led to the Tajik woman and the Russians. The businessman identified the two Russians through pictures shown to him by police.
“I am certain it’s them, I saw them clearly, it happened in broad daylight,” he said.
Policeman F A said that investigations confirmed that Z A and M K were in a getaway car near where the incident took place.
“Z A and M K were extradited from Oman because they fled the country after the theft,” added the officer, who said just over Dh2m had been recovered when the woman was arrested.
“She confessed and said her role was to look for a perfect victim,” said the policeman.
No charges were brought against M K and no reason was given in court records.
Z A will be deported after serving her jail term, as will the Russians if they are tracked down.
salamir@thenational.ae