A 24-year-old Emirati man and a Pakistani fugitive have been charged at a Dubai court with raping a compatriot woman after barging into her shared accommodation to rob the place.

The Court of First Instance heard the two men raped the victim at knifepoint. They stole Dh15,970 in cash, two gold necklaces, and nine mobile phones belonging to her and eight other flatmates. They allegedly also threatened them with knives.

The incident took place at a shared house on May 6 last year in Al Muraqqabat.

The defendants include five Emiratis and four Pakistanis and are aged between 20 and 37 years. They have all been charged with robbery. The fugitive is being tried in absentia.

The woman, who was allegedly raped, is a 34-year-old Pakistani accountant. She said she lived in a two-storey house comprising of nine rooms in Al Waheeda area.

She said her flatmates were bachelors and married couples, but she does not communicate with any of them. She lived alone in her room at the accommodation.

"At 1.30pm on that day, my husband's cousin was with me when seven men barged in and stole belongings from me and others. They also raped me. My relative was visiting me to lend me Dh1,000," she told the prosecutor.

"All of the intruders were holding knives and three of them had their faces covered. None of us put up a fight as we were afraid of the knives."

She recounted that one of them slapped her after she refused to enter the bathroom. Later, she was raped in the bathroom by two of them. She could only identify one of them among other suspects at the police station as the other suspect had his face covered.

She said she had no idea whether the other women living in the house worked as prostitutes.

The thieves threatened the tenants to remain quiet as they fled the place.

The women, who were then in a state of panic and shock, used the mobile phone of a man outside the house to call the police. The witness added that she heard from the other women they were sexually harassed, but not raped.

A 21-year-old married woman, a Pakistani visitor, said she was with her husband when the incident took place. 

She gave a testimony similar to that of the other victim.

The trial has been adjourned to July 7.

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