Man jailed for car rental robbery tells Dubai court he's never met accomplice

The pair have denied robbery charges and say police set them up.

DUBAI // Two men were jailed for one year each for robbing a car rental firm of almost Dh50,000 at the Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Rentals employee TA, 41, acquired copied keys to the company's door and gave them to 21-year-old Emirati RS, who stole Dh46,500.

In court, RS told presiding judge Maher Salameh that, when he was arrested, a policeman gave him TA's name and asked him to say that the fellow Emirati was his accomplice in the robbery.

"The policeman told me if I complied with his demand, he would get me out of this case," said RS.

However, TA was convicted of the same charge.

In court he said he had never seen RS in his life before. "I was arrested and tortured by police, who tried to force me to confess to a charge of robbery but I refused," TA said.

"They told me I was poor, so where do I get my money from except from theft? They told me that my wife and I were thieves and they would arrest my wife as well."

Both denied the robbery charge in court last February.

Arresting officer HE, 27, told prosecutors that a report of a robbery was received on October 25 last year and their investigations led them to TA. "He willingly confessed in front of me," said HE in records.

Policeman MH testified that TA worked at the car rental and possessed copies of the office keys, which he used to open its door and rob the place.

"Both defendants confessed to theft charges when interrogated by police," said MH, adding that RS confessed he received Dh8,000 for his role in the robbery.