DUBAI // A man police investigated for illegally selling alcohol was also running a brothel, a court heard this morning.
The 30-year-old SA, an Indian, had started his bootlegging and brothel operation in an apartment two weeks before his arrest, records show.
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He denied the charges and told the court he was working as a cook in the apartment and had nothing to do with the sex trade.
"Some other people were running the apartment, your honour, and I only worked there for 10 days," he said when he appeared before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance.
According to court records, police were tipped off that SA was bootlegging in April. When he was arrested, HA, a 50-year-old corporal at the Naif police station, took his confession, in which he said he was hired by an Indian man to run a brothel in an apartment.
He added that he worked for a daily wage of Dh50 and was responsible for taking names of customers from the Indian man, identified in records as F.
SA would then allow the customers into the apartment, near Talal Super Market in Fareej Al Marar area, after charging them for sex with one of three prostitutes, an Indian, an Ethiopian or an Indonesian.
He sold alcohol to customers as well, prosecutors said.
SA said about 10 customers came to the apartment each day. No prostitutes were found in the apartment when he was arrested, but there were two boxes of liquor and 12 cans of beer.
A verdict is expected on September 26.
salamir@thenational.ae