DUBAI // An illegal immigrant who was plastering car windshields with massage cards slashed a law enforcement officer when he was challenged in the street.
The Bangladeshi man, 27, attacked the immigration official with a penknife as he distributed the cards, which are linked to the sex trade, in the Al Nahda area of Dubai.
Details of the incident on February 6 were heard at Dubai Criminal Court this week when the suspect was jailed for three months.
The officer, an Emirati, 20, said he aked the man what he was doing.
“He explained what kind of massage they offer and said there were women from different nationalities available,” he said.
The card distributor would take him to a massage parlour, but the situation escalated when he flashed his immigration badge.
“He became very tense,” said the officer.
He said he asked the suspect for his ID but the man refused. At that point the victim’s partner arrived and both men tried to apprehend the suspect, who fought back.
When the lead officer turned around to wave to a passing police car for help, the Bangladeshi slashed his hand and fled the scene.
He was arrested nearby later that day.
Dubai Criminal Court heard the incident was caught on CCTV.
He denied resisting arrest and assaulting the officer, but a judge convicted him.
salamir@thenational.ae
