An employee was having lunch in his car when he was robbed by two men posing as police officers, who briefly abducted him before making off with just BD15, a court heard.
One of the men was sentenced to three years in prison by the High Criminal Court while the other was never identified, arrested or tried.
The 32-year-old Bahraini defendant was convicted of assaulting the victim, threatening him with a deadly weapon, holding him hostage and committing armed theft. He was also found guilty of falsely taking on the identity of a police officer for personal gain.
Now, the ex-convict has taken to the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court to contest this verdict.
The 41-year-old victim had recounted his ordeal during questioning by the Public Prosecution.
“At around 2pm, I was sitting in a company-owned vehicle, which I had parked in an empty lot in Nuwaidrat while eating my lunch,” he said.
“Two people stepped out of another vehicle. One approached the window on my side, while the other went to the passenger window. “They claimed to be policemen, and were able to open the door, pull my car keys and phone from me, and managed to throw me out of the car by force.
“The defendant held me by the neck and demanded that I give him my wallet. I refused but they insisted.
“The unknown man punched me in the face four times, and the two threatened to imprison me for 15 years. I still refused to hand over my wallet.
“Then they dragged me to their car and kept asking for my wallet, and even threatened to put my relatives in jail.
“After forcing me into their vehicle, they started driving away. The defendant brought out a Swiss knife and said that he would stab me in the throat if I didn’t give him the wallet. That’s when I got really scared and handed it over.”
It emerged that the wallet contained only BD15, the court heard, after which the victim was ejected from the kidnappers’ vehicle.
During questioning by the Public Prosecution, the defendant said the vehicle used to commit the crime belonged to his mother. Court records showed that he had previously been convicted in drug‑related cases.
He was arrested on the basis of a warrant issued in connection with a narcotics ruling and was subsequently identified as the perpetrator of the robbery‑kidnapping.
Meanwhile, the victim was able to identify the defendant from a lineup of suspects on three separate occasions.
He also admitted to recreational drug use but said he had never met the defendant before and was unaware that he, too, was a drug user.
The appeal continues to be heard by judges.
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