Woman ‘raped by man she met in a Dubai nightclub’



DUBAI // A Kuwaiti tourist raped an Indian businesswoman he met in a nightclub after she offered to help him with investments, a court has heard.

The woman, 34, told Dubai Criminal Court she met the defendant, 39, at a club last year and chatted for a while.

“He asked about my nationality and I told him Indian but carrying a US passport,” she said. “Then he told me he wanted to invest in the US. I offered to help, but then we were interrupted and didn’t exchange numbers.”

A few days later, on November 11, they met at another club in a hotel in Jumeirah.

“When the club was to close, he asked to resume our discussion. I agreed so we sat for a while in the lobby then went to his suite in the same hotel where a friend of his joined us but sat in the other room.”

She told the court that when she wanted to leave, he assaulted her and tried to pull her by the leg into the bedroom.

“His friend tried to stop him and told him to let me go, but he wouldn’t listen and he pushed him out of the room and locked the door,” the woman said.

When she tried to call police he snatched her phone from her hand and beat her before stripping her naked and raping her, she said.

“When he was done, there was a knock on the door. It was room service, so I ran out the door and called police then waited for them at the lobby.”

The defendant told police the woman offered to have sex with him in return for Dh2,500, but when they were done she increased the amount to Dh7,000.

The hotel’s security cameras showed the defendant and the woman holding hands and walking into his suite at 3.51am. It later showed her walking out of the room.

In court, the defendant denied a rape charge. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 7.

salamir@thenational.ae

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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

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Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

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The specs

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Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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  • Choose cars with GCC specifications
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Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com

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Credit Score explained

What is a credit score?

In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.

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Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.

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The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.

How can I improve my score?

By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.

How do I know if my score is low or high?

By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.

How much does it cost?

A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final

COMPANY PROFILE
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Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
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Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
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