By Staff Reporter
The Moroccan defendant, posing as a visitor, knocked on the door, and when an employee, a Guinean national, opened it, a group of five stormed inside, locked the door, and restrained the employee.
The group threatened the victim with a machete, assaulted him, and demanded access to the office’s safe.
“After I opened the door, a number of masked men stormed in carrying machetes. They assaulted me, grabbed the safe key from my pocket and stole the money,” said the victim in court records.
They stole Dh247,000, which belonged to the business owner before fleeing the scene.
After the robbery, the employee reported the crime, prompting police investigations that led to the arrest of the Moroccan defendant.
He initially confessed to his involvement, claiming he had been coerced by accomplices of African descent who threatened him into assisting with the crime.
“During questioning, he said three men attacked him in Sharjah a day before the armed robbery, stole his belongings, and forced him to take part in the crime in exchange for returning his possessions,” a police officer said in court records.
“He claimed the men told him they had been denied payment by the owner of the company they were targeting after supplying him with liquor,” the police officer added.
However, the court found the defendant’s claims unconvincing.
Evidence, including witness testimonies, surveillance footage, and the victim’s identification of the defendant during a line-up, confirmed his active role in the crime.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was fined Dh247,000 and will be deported after serving his term.
Three Nigerian co-defendants were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The court cited inconsistencies in witness statements and the lack of definitive proof linking them to the crime.
