Emirati impersonated police, kidnapped driver, court hears

He and others are accused of dragging the victim into their car, telling him he was 'under arrest.'

DUBAI // A 27-year-old sailor this morning denied charges of kidnapping and theft.

NA, an Emirati, is facing charges of kidnapping SN, a Pakistani driver, after posing as a police officer.

The records said NA and alleged accomplices, who are not in custody, told the victim he was wanted by the police, hustled him into a car, then assaulted him.

SN testified that about 11.30pm on January 12, he was walking in Al Baraha area when the defendant approached him in a Mitsubishi with four other men.

He said one of the men asked him for his ID, then told him he was arrested and would be taken to the Naif police station.

SN told prosecutors that when he realized the men were not CID officers as they claimed, he tried to get out of the moving car but was beaten.

“NA threw a punch at my face [and] my nose started bleeding,” he told prosecutors.

He said he grabbed the steering, which caused the car to swerve and stop. People surrounded the vehicle and helped him catch NA, while the other men drove away, he said.

NA denied the charges and awaits a verdict on April 6.