UAE- Two accused of defrauding Saudi man of 1 million riyals

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Two African men, on business visas, denied charges of sorcery, witchcraft and fraud when they appeared in the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours. The pair - a 44-year-old Senegalese and a 52-year-old Ghana national - are accused of defrauding a Saudi man of 1 million Saudi riyals. The Saudi complainant, 24, said during investigation that he came to Dubai to seek medical help for what he called a psychological condition. He recounted to the investigators that he was not well and he would shiver very often. He met the two accused who allegedly fooled him into believing that they could treat him through witchcraft. "They asked me to pay them sums to buy things they claimed they would use as sacrifices in their witchcraft including red mercury, some black pills and other materials. I paid them a total of SR 1million," he said. The defendants, held in provisional detention, denied the Saudi's claims and also denied receiving money from him. They claimed that he was ill because he used drugs and alcohol. They pleaded not guilty to sorcery and fraud charges as well. The police arrested the Ghanian around 2am on May 26 from a hotel at Rigga in Muraqqabat. Some tools, which they allegedly used for practising witchcraft, were seized from them, including a plastic bag containing sticks, a bottle with a light-coloured liquid and a plastic bucket containing sticks. The court fixed the next hearing on August 27 when it would hear the complainant's testimony.