A prolific thief is on trial again accused of impersonating a man whose lost wallet he found, renting a vehicle in the wallet owner’s name, then stealing the car.
Using the vehicle, he allegedly raided four electronics stores, stealing one mobile phone from each.
He had already been found guilty in two court cases over the mobile thefts, and was sentenced to a total of three-and-a-half years in prison. The 41-year-old Bahraini defendant is now standing trial at the High Criminal Court as a repeat offender.
He was charged with using an identity card belonging to another man – a driver’s licence he found in the missing wallet – to unrightfully benefit from it and to commit crime.
He was also charged with falsifying the alleged victim’s signature on a car rental agreement, and using the partially-falsified document as if it was a valid. The defendant was further accused of keeping the wallet for himself.
“I lost my wallet in June 2025, and in July, an Indian man working at a car rental company came to my residence, saying that I rented a car and did not return it,” the victim explained to judges.
“He showed me copies of my licence and CPR card, which were indeed mine, but I had not rented any car.
“I found out that car rental companies had lodged several police reports against me and I realised that someone had taken advantage of me losing my cards.”
An employee at a car rental agency testified that a man, dressed in military attire, wearing a medical mask and sunglasses, had rented a white Honda City, and presented the alleged victim’s credentials.
The expat positively identified the defendant when shown a photograph of the man facing trial.
The accused never returned the vehicle and had an outstanding bill of BD100.
According to a police officer, who led the investigation, a ‘military man’ drove the car to several shops on a crime spree.
He was already in police custody, when officers found the lost wallet on his person, as well as the Honda City’s keys. The vehicle was discovered in Dar Kulaib. The Bahraini had been arrested while in another rental car he has taken from another agency.
A forgery expert stated that the alleged victim’s signature was not original, having been replicated by another individual, .
Court documents indicate that the defendant was marked as unemployed.
Judges adjourned the case to April 14 for a lawyer to be appointed to represent the accused.
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