Dubai: A mechanic and two women accused of assaulting and robbing a tourist in a hotel room appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.
They were accused of using a blonde woman’s photo to lure the Saudi man for an erotic massage in a hotel room where they confined, beat and robbed him.
The 21-year-old Saudi tourist was looking for massage services on social media when he came across the photo of a blonde masseuse in September.
Shortly after contacting the posted number, the supposed blonde masseuse sent the location of the hotel via WhatsApp to the Saudi’s phone and provided him with a list of prices.
Once the 21-year-old reached the hotel in Al Rifaa, a 26-year-old Nigerian woman answered the door and lured him inside.
The 26-year-old woman, her 37-year-old countrywoman and a 27-year-old Nigerian mechanic then ganged up against the tourist, prevented him from leaving the room and locked him in.
The Nigerian trio then assaulted the Saudi and threatened to kill him if he didn’t give them his wallet.
When the Saudi tried to run away a second time, the trio kicked him, pinned him down and took his wallet at knifepoint.
When the hotel’s security guards heard the Saudi’s cries for help, they rushed to his rescue.
The two women managed to flee, but the guards restrained the mechanic and handed him over to the police.
The women were apprehended shortly after.
The women were charged with working in prostitution while the mechanic was charged with providing them clients. He was also accused of flouting labour laws by working for another sponsor.
The 26-year-old woman was accused of using someone else’s passport to reserve a hotel room.
According to the charge-sheet, the accused stole the Saudi’s Dh1,200, bankcard and phone.
The women admitted to working in prostitution, but denied the accusations of theft and illegal confinement when they defended themselves before presiding judge Urfan Omar.
The mechanic denied confining the Saudi and robbing him, but admitted to working illegally for another sponsor.
The tourist claimed to prosecutors that he was searching for a massage place when he contacted the suspects.
“As I entered the room, the lights were dim. Once I realised that the present woman was different than the one I had seen [in photo], I tried to leave. The other woman suspect came out from the bathroom meanwhile the man came from another room … they prevented me from leaving. They assaulted me, locked me up and stole my wallet at knifepoint,” he testified to prosecutors.
A policeman claimed to prosecutors: “The three suspects were apprehended. The 26-year-old woman alleged that she knew the Saudi and invited him for a coffee at her hotel room … she alleged that when he tried to molest her, she asked the other suspects to help her foil the tourist’s attempt from molesting her.”
The court will appoint lawyers to defend the suspects when it reconvenes on March 26.
