They took his wallet out of his pocket to show they were checking his papers.

Two Dubai policemen are standing trial at the Court of First Instance on the charge of forcibly stealing Dh3,380 from a man they were taking in their patrol.

According to public prosecution records, the policeman and the corporal, aged 26 and 25, apprehended the man and took him to a remote area where they handcuffed him and pretended they were searching him. They took his wallet out of his pocket to show they were checking his papers.

The incident took place on October 3 last year and was reported to Jebel Ali police station. The two accused have been placed in detention.

The complainant, a 41-year-old Bangladeshi worker, said that he was selling bananas on the day of incident in Jebel Ali when a police patrol car stopped near him. "A cop, who was in the passenger seat, stepped off and asked me about the price of the fruit. Without asking for my ID, he arrested me. They drove to an area off residential buildings and told me to leave the car. The patrol driver handcuffed me and took my wallet and checked my residence visa."

During the public prosecution investigation, the worker said he was then told his visa had expired and he owed Dh20,000 in fines. "I denied that saying that I was still working for my sponsor. The patrol driver then asked me where I stayed while putting the wallet back in my pocket. He told me not to talk about what happened to anyone."

When the patrol car left, the worker checked his wallet and found Dh3,380 was missing. He went to the police station and filed a complaint.

The forensics report showed that the incident was captured by the surveillance camera installed inside the patrol. The arrest was made at 8:51pm. The corporal claimed it was his colleague, the 26-year-old defendant, who was seen changing the direction of the camera at 8:57pm and that he had no idea why he did that.

The worker identified the 26-year-old accused at the police station.

The trial will continue on May 15.

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