Man who set up 10 false mobile phone lines to steal 38 iPhones is jailed in Dubai

Pakistani abused his position at a company in Dubai Duty Free to set up the phone lines then rack up huge bills.

DUBAI // A man who forged documents and used them to set up 10 false mobile phone lines so he could embezzle 38 iPhones has been sentenced to a year in jail by Dubai Criminal Court.

Pakistani A K, 27, was a customer care agent at a company contracted to du at Dubai Duty Free at Dubai airport. Between January 7 and 27, 2011, he acquired the iPhones that were valued at more than Dh100,000.

Kenyan du employee N J, 29, said a man called Z A complained that there was a phone line registered in his name that he had never requested. “The defendant called Z A and told him that his overdue payments would be settled and the line would be discontinued,” said N J.

The company’s fraud department discovered that A K had placed several calls to numbers issued by himself. “A K was brought in for questioning and he told us that a Pakistani man, T Y, had sent him several documents that are required to purchase postpaid lines,” said the Kenyan, N J.

Emirati A M, a regional coordinator with du, said: “Outstanding payments on the lines issued by A K were Dh87,867. The defendant also embezzled 10 postpaid scratch cards.”

As well as the one-year sentence, A K was fined Dh150,000 and ordered to repay Dh10,026 that he embezzled.