UAE- Seven men 'threaten' to kill businessman, court hears

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Seven men allegedly threatened to kill a businessman if he did not pay them Dh40,000 and eventually managed to extort Dh2,100 out of him, a court heard. The seven men, all Pakistanis, were apparently members of a gang and had accomplices in Pakistan. They faced charges of making threats to commit a crime and extortion, which they denied in the Court of First Instance. They are five visitors, a tailor, and a business visa holder with ages ranging from 25 to 49. The complainant, a 33-year-old Indian businessman said that around 1am, while he was in his house in Al Rafaa, he received a call from a man in Pakistan. "It all started about 45 days before I complained in October 2012. The caller threatened to kill me and ruin my family's life in India if I did not pay him Dh40,000. He said that I have to pay him if I wanted to live in peace." The complainant stopped taking the defendant's calls as they were constant. Later on, one of the defendants called the businessman and threatened him again in the same way. "He said he would hurt my family in India and that he knew where I worked and stayed. He threatened that he would send men to beat and kill me." The businessman met the accused outside a hotel in Bur Dubai where he handed them Dh2,100. The gang members again kept harassing him in the following days by demanding more money. He then complained at Al Rafaa police station. He later received a phone call from the same man in Pakistan telling him that the defendants would kill him when they got out of prison.