Hitchhikers robbed and dumped in desert get their revenge

Two hitchhikers who were robbed and dumped in the desert helped earn their alleged attackers a ride in a police car after stumbling across the gang in a roadside restaurant

Dubai Court of First Instance was told on Monday that the Pakistani defendants offered the victims a lift to Abu Dhabi when they saw them walking at the side of the road.

But instead of taking the Bangladeshi labourers to the capital, it is alleged the gang took their money and phones and threw the hitchhikers out of the car. One of the victims, a 29-year-old carpenter, testified that he was with his friend near the National Paints Roundabout in Sharjah trying to hitch a lift to the capital when two of the Pakistani men pulled up in a car and said they would take the duo there for Dhs25 each.

“We jumped in the car, paid them the money and they drove towards Dubai,” the victim said in official records. “But then they headed into the desert and raised a knife to us, asking for money.” The court was told that the other two defendants then arrived and joined in the attack. The hitchhikers were forced to hand over Dhs300, 3,500 Bangladeshi Taka and two mobile phones. The victim said: “They dumped us in the desert.”

But he said they were given a lift when, after walking for an hour in search of help, they saw a cafe and noticed their attackers’ car in the car park. He said they were surprised so they entered the restaurant. The hitchhiker said he and his friend walked into the cafe and saw the four men enjoying food.

“We attacked them and managed to detain them until Dubai Police arrived,” he added. The defendants confessed during the investigation that they rented the car and had planned to pick people up and take them to the desert and rob them. The four failed to appear in court yesterday to enter an official plea.

The case has been adjourned to a later date.

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