Job-hunting woman is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by prospective employer, court hears

The woman spotted a job ad on Dubizzle and met with two Pakistani men, who tried to rape her in their car, Dubai court hears.

DUBAI // A woman was kidnapped, molested and robbed by two men who lured her into their car after promising her a job, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Wednesday.

Pakistanis M A, 30, and S M, 32, denied charges of kidnap, confinement, sexual assault and attempted rape, as well as robbery and issuing threats.

The 37-year-old Filipino tourist, S J, told prosecutors that she arrived in the UAE in May last year and started looking for a job.

“On Dubizzle I found a post by a contracting company stating that they were looking to hire a female employee, so I emailed them,” said the woman, who missed a call on May 25 last year related to the job opportunity.

She said she was asleep at the time of the call but the following day, they called her again. “It was S M who called me and said he saw my CV and wanted to meet me for an interview,” said the woman.

She waited for him at a bus station in Bur Dubai as he had requested, she told prosecutors. She added that he arrived at about 1.30pm in a blue car.

“The other man was inside the car when I got in. S M told me he is taking me to Abu Dhabi, where the company is located, in order to have the interview,” said S J.

She added that both men started flirting with her and one of them told her he loved her from first sight and wanted to marry her. He then lifted her and forced her to sit in his lap, she alleged.

The pair stopped the car, she said, and the men swapped roles, with M A taking the driving seat while S M sat next to her and started molesting her, after which they used phone charging wires to tie her up.

Prosecutors said the men stopped the car at a quiet area on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi motorway and took turns molesting S J. They allegedly stole Dh300 that was in her bag and a mobile phone. Then the pair unbuttoned her shirt and lowered her trousers and underwear.

When she resisted them, the two allegedly threatened her and ordered her to be cooperative and quiet.

“I tried to open the door and run away but it was locked,” said S J, who added that she resisted them but they gave up trying to rape her when they found out she was on her period.

Both men denied all charges in court.

The next hearing will be on March 2 to appoint the men a defence lawyer.