DUBAI // A man kidnapped his cousin with the help of two others and demanded Dh10,000 in ransom from the victim’s mother, heard Dubai Criminal Court.
Bangladeshi MM, 28, told the court that on September 14 this year he was forced into a car by his cousin, SA, 23, and two other men, Bangladeshi MT, 36, and Pakistani AK, 65, who took him to a farm in Al Marmoum where they assaulted him.
“They tied me up and assaulted me before they forced me to give them my mother’s phone number in Bangladesh,” said the victim, who added that the men called his mother and asked for Dh10,000 in return for setting him free or else they would continue to hold him captive and assault him.
MM said the next morning he was taken to a building under construction in Jumeirah where the three men continued to assault him.
According to records, MM’s mother called another nephew who also lives in the UAE and informed him what had happened. She provided him with the phone number the kidnappers used to call her.
“I called the number and the man who answered confirmed they have my cousin and demanded for Dh10,000,” testified Bangladeshi AA, 35, who hung up and headed to a police station to report the incident.
Police arrived at the building and found MM along with SA.
“MM told us that he had been kidnapped and that SA assaulted and threatened him before he called his mother back home seeking ransom,” testified policeman JS, 28.
The officer said that SA confessed while MT and AK, who were arrested shortly after, denied taking part in the kidnapping.
“AK denied knowing anything about the incident and said that he was only contacted by SA who asked him to drive him to Sharjah in return for Dh100,” added the policeman.
In court SA, MT and AK denied a kidnap charge while SA denied a charge of assault.
“I am a taxi driver I have nothing to do with this incident,” AK told judges.
The next hearing will be on January 3.
salamir@thenational.ae
