Gang of nine convicted of robbing woman at knifepoint

Two of them also found guilty of raping her in her own flat

A gang of nine men robbed a woman at knifepoint and two of them raped her, a court has found.

The gang attacked their victim just weeks after she arrived in the UAE from Pakistan to start a new job.

Dubai Criminal Court heard that the woman, 34, was meeting a relative to meet her at her apartment when the masked attackers burst in.

Armed with knives, the men stole cash and other valuables before two of them raped the woman in a bathroom.

“I secured a job and was waiting for my papers to get processed,” the victim told the court.

“But I needed money to settle so I called a relative of mine and asked for money.

“Moments after he arrived a group of men stormed into my room.

“When they started looking through my stuff, one of them dragged me into the bathroom and raped me with the door open.”

A few minutes later, another man raped her before all the attackers ran off.

The court heard how the attack happened on May 6 last year in the Al Muraqqabat area of Dubai.

The victim gave officers a description of one attacker and Dubai Police tracked him down.

He then gave detectives the identities of his accomplices, who were also arrested.

The men – five Emiratis and four Pakistanis, aged between 20 and 37 – were all convicted of armed robbery. Each was sentenced to three years in prison.

One of the Emiratis and one of the Pakistanis were also convicted of rape and sentenced to six years each.