DUBAI // Eight men are accused of starting a labourer riot that caused more than Dh400,000 to their company’s work site.
Dubai Criminal Court was told that the seven Indians and one Nepalese, aged between 23 and 34, were the leaders of a riot that took place at premises belonging to construction company Arabtec on the night of January 3.
Prosecutors charged them with inciting other workers to cause damage, with illegally forming a large gathering and with causing damage to the company’s premises and damage to tools and equipment rented from other companies, all of which amounted to more than Dh400,000.
One defendant is separately charged with setting fire to a digger by opening its fuel tank and igniting the petrol inside.
The defendants each denied all charges in court on Tuesday.
Witnesses said that two of the eight men complained to the company’s security guard that their rooms had been robbed and that they demanded to be given locks and keys for their rooms.
“Shortly after coming to me, the eight men returned with a group of about 100 other workers, which quickly grew to include nearly 500 workers, and they started encouraging the other workers to break and smash everything,” said the Egyptian guard, 25, adding that the defendants were known to the company for committing violations such as bootlegging.
The men used wooden sticks, iron bars, rocks and their bare hands to damage cars, doors, windows, equipment, vehicles, motorbikes and employees’ desks and other items, the guard said.
One worker went on a roof and pushed a water tank to the ground, said another security guard, adding that when riot police arrived the workers fled.
The eight were arrested shortly afterwards and claimed they had been sleeping at the time of the riot, said a 30-year-old Emirati policeman.
A verdict will be given on June 14.
salamir@thenational.ae
