Dubai trio ‘locked up and assaulted man they owed Dh300,000 to’

The Jordanian men allegedly made the Iraqi sign a document saying he received his money before they dragged him around an office using a rope around his neck.

DUBAI // Three men locked up, assaulted and tried to strangle a man who asked them to pay Dh300,000 for a project he provided to their company, a court has been told.

The three Jordanians – an engineer, 28, a business investor, 36, and another man – attacked the Iraqi at their company offices on December 8 last year and forced him to write a statement that he had received all of the money they owed him.

They also stole Dh150,000 in cash and a Dh50,000 cheque before trying to strangle him with a plastic rope, Dubai Criminal Court heard. The engineer then broke the windshield the man’s car with his bare hands.

The Iraqi, 42, said he had an agreement with the Jordanians’ company to build villas at the Orange Lake project in Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“They owed me Dh300,000 in commission for that project and kept stalling,” he said. “They handed me cheques that bounced so I reported them to police.”

After filing the police report, he said the men called him and asked to meet so they could pay him the money in cash.

“At their office they gave me Dh150,000 in cash and a cheque, but then one of them locked the door and the others assaulted me and dragged me with a rope around my neck, and forced me to sign that I had taken my money.

“Then they took the cash and the cheque they gave me.”

The three Jordanians have pleaded not guilty to confinement and theft, and the engineer denied damaging the car.

The next hearing is scheduled for February 16.