Policemen charged with abusing power theft
By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
Published: September 01, 2009, 23:12
Dubai: Two law enforcement officers have strongly denied abusing their authority and rejected the charge of kidnapping a driver in a police car and stealing Dh2,500 from him, a court heard.
Records quoted an Emirati police first lieutenant testifying that a number of Indian vegetable and fish vendors had complained that they were being robbed by policemen in Al Quoz who were on duty in their official uniforms and driving their police car.
The defendants, 19-year-old corporal H.E. and 20-year-old first corporal A.M., both denied the charges before the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday.
The Public Prosecution charged them with abusing their authority as law enforcement officers, kidnapping 23-year-old Indian M.R., and stealing his money. They were also charged with unlawfully questioning and searching M.R., who delivers fish to cafeterias in Al Quoz.
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The suspects pleaded not guilty before they handed Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout a written waiver that they had obtained from M.R.
The first lieutenant testified: "A policeman monitored the patrol [car] which had the plate number that was given to us by a complainant. Initial interrogations exposed that 19-year-old corporal H.E. and 20-year-old first corporal A.M. were the suspects [involved]. The policeman, who was assigned to monitor the suspects, spotted them picking up an Indian vendor and stalked them for a while before he lost their track."
The 40-year-old policeman stated: "Upon the first lieutenant's instructions, I monitored the area for two days in search of the suspects whom I spotted on the third day ... I saw them picking up a vegetable vendor, then M.R., before they dropped them shortly after that. When I lost their track, I informed the first lieutenant who arranged for their arrest."
Public Prosecution records said the first lieutenant then spotted the suspects in another place. When he asked them what they were doing in that area, the defendants claimed that they were combing the vicinity.
"Then one of them admitted that they had been picking up vendors and stealing their money," added the first lieutenant.
M.R. claimed that the defendants ordered him to ride in their police car because they wanted to question him and check on his identification.
The trial continues.
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hope they get screwed