Two Emiratis posed as Interpol officers before kidnapping a "terrified" man and robbing him of Dh1.7 million contained in a bag.
The two men, aged 36 and 37, stopped the victim near his workplace in Dubai on May 26 and led him into car after showing him fake documentation identifying them as members of the international force.
Before he was placed in the vehicle, the 33-year-old Indian man texted a friend to say he had been arrested by police.
“One of them told me the documents were issued by the United Nations and I believed him,” said the victim.
“They drove with high speed towards Abu Dhabi then took me to a villa under construction where they screamed at me and asked about the bag. I was terrified.”
He said they stole the bag and split the cash between themselves.
“Then the two took me back to the car. one of them was dropped off to what seemed to be his residence then the other drove back to Dubai,” said the victim.
“While we were still in the car in Dubai, the police stopped us and arrested him because it turned out that my friend whom I texted, called police.”
Police sprung into action after receiving a call from the victim's worried friend.
“We were able to identify the defendants at once and arrested the one who was driving the victim back from Abu Dhabi,” said an officer giving evidence at Dubai Criminal Court.
The offenders were convicted of kidnap, impersonation and theft chargee.
They each received five-year jail sentences.