DUBAI // A serial sex offender preyed on lone women by pretending to be a police or immigration officer before molesting them, a court heard yesterday. IK, 28, a driver from Pakistan, used a small van to pick up women and wore a high-visibility reflector vest similar to those used by police, prosecutors told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance.
The court heard that IK picked up a 27-year-old Bangladeshi maid in Jumeirah in January 2008 and asked to see her identity papers. He said he was taking her to the police station and told her to get into the van. The woman told police he molested her and then drove to a building site where he undressed her and attempted to rape her. She said she saw a camera flash and that a bystander became embroiled in a fight with IK, allowing her to escape.
An officer from the Bur Dubai police station said the maid described the vehicle in which she had been abducted and provided a partial licence plate number. Officers found IK and put him in a line-up in front of other women who had filed complaints of sexual assault by a man claiming to be a police or immigration officer, dating back to 2007. They identified IK. IK denies charges of kidnap, attempted rape and impersonating a public official. The court adjourned to October 12 and he remains in custody.
amustafa@thenational.ae
