Bogus inspector conned building firm boss into paying Dh40,000 fine, Dubai court told

The man posed as a Dubai Municipality inspector and claimed the fine was for an unauthorised extension.

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Dubai // A con man posed as a municipality inspector and threatened a manager into handing over a Dh40,000 fine, a court heard.

N R, 44, forged a letter addressed to the victim’s company fining it Dh300,000 for building an illegal extension that was intended for holding religious ceremonies, it was alleged at Dubai Criminal Court.

N R, who is from Pakistan, then gave the letter to the Indian manager, S S, in 2010.

“I felt strange because we have been working for 20 years and all our procedures are legal,” said S S, 55, who added that the defendant and two other men met him and claimed they could help to sort out the fine.

“They asked for Dh150,000 but I said it was too much. Then I checked with the municipality, which told me that they did not issue a fine against my company.

“But they asked me to keep in touch with them because police were working on the case,” said S S.

Negotiations continued with the three men and the amount was reduced to Dh40,000.

When the men threatened S S with “trouble” if he did not pay more, he went to the police.

Prosecutors charged N R with forgery of an official document and using it, impersonation of a public employee and fraudulently obtaining Dh40,000 from the victim.

The next hearing was scheduled for December 22.

salamir@thenational.ae