Dubai: Two brothers have been accused of beating and drugging a manager in his car and stealing Dh590,000 from him by force because they needed the money for their mother’s treatment.
The Pakistani brothers, 24 and 22, were said to have attacked the Indian manager and one of them stifled his neck while the other beat him and took away the bag containing money in January.
Records said when the manager, who was behind the steering cried for help, one of the brother made him sniff a drug, and the other covered his face with a mask.
The brothers then hurled the manager out of the car and drove away with the money that they were believed to have stolen to pay for their mother’s surgery.
The manager reported the matter to a police patrol in the nearby street.
Prosecutors charged the brother with stealing.
The duo pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.
According to the charges sheet, prosecutors said the suspects threatened to kill the man when he tried to call the police for help.
“I did not steal the money … I was there and had a fight with the manager but I did not steal anything,” the elder told presiding judge Urfan Omar.
The younger brother said that he was not present at the crime scene.
The manager told prosecutors that his boss had asked him to collect Dh590,000 from a person in a flat in Al Rifaa.
He said; “The elder brother, who worked with us, accompanied me to collect the money. When were driving back after taking the money at 10.30pm, the younger brother, who had been hiding in the back seat, placed his hands around my neck and prevented me from moving … when I tried to seek help from a nearby police car, they asked me to remain quiet and threatened to kill me. Then he placed his hand on my nose and mouth after which I lost consciousness. Then they covered my head with a mask and pushed me out of the car.”
The brothers were quoted as admitting to prosecutors that they decided to steal the money because they wanted to pay for their mother’s surgery in Pakistan.
A ruling in the case will be announced on March 13.
