Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

An Arab national placed an ad on a social media platform about selling  US dollars at less than official trading price. He reportedly attempted to seize 2,500 Omani riyals from a GCC national after luring him with the ad.

The Dubai Criminal Court convicted him and sent him two years behind bars, to be followed by deportation after serving his sentence and fined him Dhs200,000.

The Dubai Appellate Court commuted the jail term from two years to 6 months and upheld the fine and deportation.

The details date back to August 2023, when a GCC national filed a report stating that he had been defrauded and that a person tried to steal 2,500 Omani riyals from him, adding that he had seen an ad on a social networking platform about selling US dollars at less than trading price in the market.

He added, “I contacted the owner of the ad and agreed with him to buy the dollars in return for 2,500 Omani riyals. We set an appointment to meet and when he showed up near a hotel in Raqqa area in Dubai, I took the dollars from him and he attempted to seize 2,500 Omani riyals from my vehicle and tried to flee, but I stopped and detained him, then informed the police.”

A policeman stated during investigations that a police patrol arrived at the site of the report where the suspect was detained, and $190 notes were found in his possession, which turned out to be counterfeit.

On being questioned, he confessed that he and another fugitive connived to place an ad about the sale of US dollars at a reduced price and that they lured the victim to the place where he attempted to seize his money from his vehicle before he informed the police.