DUBAI // A housewife was groped by a man in a lift after he had harassed her several times before, a court has heard.
The Indian wife, ZT, 26, told how fellow Indian HR, 29, grabbed her breasts with both hands before touching her private parts.
She told prosecutors: “On the 19th of December last year, while getting inside the elevator at 7am, the defendant got inside the elevator with me.
“After the elevator door closed, he started playing with his genitals in front of me and looking at me weirdly. I panicked and tried exiting the elevator but the defendant grabbed me and tried forcing me to stay.
“I grabbed him from his shirt and I wanted to call the building security guy but then he grabbed my breast with both hands.
“I managed to remove his hands but the defendant lowered his hand and touched me between my legs.”
The woman said she managed to escape his grip and ran towards the security room. The woman and the guard launched a search but could not find the man.
ZT called her husband before calling the police. By the time police arrived, a group had caught the attacker after they apparently got wind of the story.
In her statement, she also indicated that the defendant had tried to harass her several times before.
Yemeni policeman MA, 49, said: “I got notified about a fight at Al Sabkha area and, when I arrived, I found a group of people holding the defendant.
“They told me that HR assaulted ZT. The defendant was in a panic and extremely afraid.”
At Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday, the Indian man denied the sexual assault charge, telling the presiding judge: “I only touched her hand.”
The next hearing will be on March 17.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”