Woman jailed over possessing fake Emirati ID in Dubai

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

An African woman has been sentenced to three months in prison to be followed by deportation over possessing a fake Emirati ID card. The convict reportedly got the mentioned card from a person (still at large) for Dhs4,000.

The Criminal Court in Dubai heard that in January 2023, the said woman was arrested within the jurisdiction of Al Barsha police station, where the officer in charge followed proper procedures before taking her into custody. During the search, a fake resident ID card was discovered in the suspect's possession, featuring her photo, the officer testified.

“Upon examining the data on the card, it was discovered that the name written in Arabic differed from the name written in English. However, a thorough check of the identity data in the criminal system revealed no information based on the provided data,” the officer added.

In interrogation, the suspect unequivocally confessed to obtaining the forged card in return for money, fully aware that the identity on the card was fraudulent.

She said, “Approximately a year ago, I encountered an individual from my home country in Deira area. I told him about my bad circumstances and I requested him to help me get an ID card at any cost. He consented to assist me in obtaining a new Emirati identity card in return for Dhs4,000. And he delivered it to me in Nayef area.”

Consequently, the Court found the woman guilty and sentenced her to imprisonment of three months to be followed by deportation.