A crime gang lured four businessman to Dubai to strike a Dh2.9 million gold sale, before posing as police officers to make off with the cash, a court heard.
The unsuspecting Afghan buyers arranged to meet three men purporting to be gold traders at a villa in the upmarket Jumeirah district of the emirate last July, bringing a suitcase full of money with them to seal the deal.
The meeting was swiftly brought to a halt when another trio of men stormed into the villa, flashing identification given to them by an Emirati policeman, and seized the vast haul of money along with the men's passports.
Nine men aged between 30 and 51 — two Emiratis, two Pakistanis, two Cameroonians, an Egyptian, a Malian and a Frenchman — were arrested following investigations into the case by Dubai Police.
They face charges of theft, posing as CID officers, possessing fake currency and aiding and abetting a crime.
One of the alleged victims said in court records that he and the other three men arrived to the country to purchase a large quantity of gold.
“We had been in touch with the Egyptian man who was mediating the deal, then came to Dubai and were taken to this villa to meet the gold traders,” said the victim.
The case was adjourned until September 29 in order for the defendants to be summoned to be brought to court.
