DUBAI // Five men offered to supply a salesman with bargain second-hand car tyres but instead drugged him, stole his money and left him unconscious in the road, a court heard today.
They met the salesman at a restaurant in Al Aweer and told him they were waiting for the tyres to be delivered, then offered him a soft drink laced with Lorazepam, a high-potency sedative, prosecutors told the Criminal Court. He lost consciousness soon afterwards and the men stole his belongings and left him in the road.
Police were called to reports of a body lying in the road and took the still unconscious man to Rashid Hospital.
When he regained consciousness he realised he had been robbed of more than Dh9,000, a credit card and other personal documents.
Police traced and arrested five men - the Pakistanis TT, 37, MA, 32, MT, 28, OD, 36 and MM, 29 - who they say imported the drug from Pakistan and used it in several similar robberies. Officer SO, 337, testified that the five men were found with 35 Lorazepam tablets and a further 769 pills of other drugs.
All five denied charges of forceful theft and endangering the life of their compatriot.
The next hearing was scheduled for January 20.
salamir@thenational.ae
