Man ‘used black pen to alter parking permit expiry date’

DUBAI // An Indian salesman is accused at Dubai Criminal Court of altering his parking permit to extend its validity by a year.

The 35-year-old has been charged with forgery of an official document by changing its dates from 2015 to 2016 using a black pen, as well as with using the forged document. He denies both charges.

On September 24 last year a Roads and Transports Authority inspector was checking paid parking permits on vehicles in Al Barsha when he spotted that the defendant’s card was issued in 2014 but its expiry date said 2016.

“The validity is either three months, six months or one year, which made me figure out that his card was altered,” said the Emirati inspector, 41, who called his office to double-check and was told that the card in question expired in 2015.

“I issued him a ticket and reported the forgery to police,” said the inspector, who added that when police arrived and questioned the man, he took the permit out of his vehicle and tried to wipe the black ink but police snatched it out of his hand.

During questioning, police said the defendant admitted forgery, though he denied it in court.

A verdict is expected on April 10.