Tuesday, Feb 21, 2017

Dubai: A man has been acquitted of impersonating a famous footballer, tricking two women into getting engaged to him and swindling nearly Dh260,000.

The 29-year-old Emirati jobless man had denied the accusation of posing as a famous footballer of Al Ain Club on a matchmaking mobile app and cheating the women by talking them into giving him money in 2015.

A 36-year-old Emirati woman employee had created an account on the matchmaking application as she was looking for a match to get married.

According to records, when she communicated with the woman in charge of the mobile app, the latter hooked her up with the 29-year-old man, who posed as the footballer.

The Emirati man was reported to have communicated with the woman for sometime before he promised to marry her.

The man talked the 36-year-old woman into starting up her own car-wash business and then convinced her to give him Dh247,000 to start up the project in the hope of securing their future.

The man also reported to have lured a 23-year-old Emirati woman to pay him Dh10,000 using the same modus operandi.

However, the man’s tricks came to light when one of the women discovered through social media that the actual footballer from Al Ain Club was engaged. When the 23-year-old woman confronted the man, she realised she had been swindled.

When the woman complained to police, the man threatened to dishonour her and tell her brothers about their relationship.

When the suspect appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance, he refuted the two women’s allegations and pleaded innocent. He denied any wrongdoing.

Citing lack of corroborated evidence, presiding judge Mohammad Jamal cleared the man of any wrongdoing.

The man was acquitted of using deceptive methods, conning the women and embezzling their money. He was also cleared of threatening one of the women that he would dishonour her in front of her brother if she did not take back her complaint against him.

The 36-year-old alleged that she created an account on the matchmaking mobile app in search of a husband, but was conned.

The woman behind the matchmaking app claimed to prosecutors that the suspect repeatedly dodged meeting with the wife-to-be by claiming that a relative had died.

Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.

Bassam Za'za', Legal and Court Correspondent

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