Dubai: A businessman has been accused of kidnapping a saleswoman, who worked for his company, and coercing her into remaining his lover by forcing her to sign a Dh150,000 debt receipt.

The Uzbek woman was said to have been hired as a saleswoman in June 2017 at a marine tools company that the Palestinian businessman owns and runs in Dubai.

A month on from joining for work, the 30-year-old woman and the Palestinian boss, according to records, fell in love and started exchanging messages.

However, once the Uzbek woman discovered that her boss is married, she decided to call their relationship off and was believed to have resigned from the company.

She moved out from the Business Bay flat that was provided to her as an accommodation by the Palestinian, who rejected her resignation and tried to convince her to stay.

On the day when the Uzbek woman lodged a complaint at Tasheel to have her work visa cancelled, one of the Palestinian’s employees, a Sudanese supervisor, asked to meet her in the afternoon to give her the cancellation papers, said records.

The supervisor met the saleswoman at a parking lot in Al Ghusais, from where he picked her up and claimed that he was taking her to a typing centre to process her papers.

Records said the supervisor, an Egyptian clerk and the latter’s two countrymen were reported to have kidnapped the Uzbek, who lost her consciousness after she was physically assaulted in the back seat.

She regained consciousness after a while and found herself tied up and confined in a warehouse owned by her Palestinian boss. The saleswoman was beaten up and forced to sign a paper which claimed her to be in debt and owes the boss Dh150,000.

She was also threatened with death if she didn’t retract her resignation and resume her affair with the businessman.

Pretending to have been frightened by the death threats, the Uzbek agreed to move back into the flat with the Palestinian.

The businessman spent the night talking to her in a friendly way to convince her that he loved her and wanted her to stay with him.

Shortly after she sweet-talked the Palestinian to give her back the flat keys, the boss left meanwhile she reported the matter to the police.

Police apprehended the Palestinian businessman, Sudanese supervisor and the Egyptian clerk. Two other suspects remain at large.

Prosecutors accused the trio of kidnapping the Uzbek, assaulting and coercing her.

The Palestinian was charged with threatening to kill the woman for refusing to remain his lover, and obtaining under duress from her a signed paper saying she owes him money.

According to the charges, prosecutors charged the Sudanese and the Egyptian with aiding and abetting the Palestinian.

The Palestinian suspect failed to show up in the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.

The other two suspects pleaded not guilty and refuted their charges before presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.

The Uzbek told prosecutors that the incident happened a day after she broke up with her boss once she discovered that he is married.

“I was duped, kidnapped, beaten, threatened and coerced to sign a paper that I had taken a loan from him. They obtained that paper from me under duress … I played along and pretended to have surrendered because I was scared to lose my life. The next day when he gave me the flat keys, I ran away and reported the police,” she testified to prosecutors.

The court reconvenes on March 21.