Gang Jailed For Stealing Bitcoin Worth Dh30,000 In Dubai

A four-person gang was given a three-year prison term for robbing a bitcoin trader of assets valued more than Dh45,000, including cryptocurrency.

The group was found guilty by the Dubai Criminal Court, and after they had served their time in jail, the court ordered their deportation.

One of the defendants used to be the victim's personal driver. According to court documents, he initially requested a meeting with her and informed her that he wanted to acquire bitcoin from her.

But when the woman got there, she was startled to see the man enter the car and sit next to her while displaying a "badge" from his nation's police force. She had been charged with corruption, he informed her. When she attempted to flee, the rest of the group stormed in, had her seat in the back, and drove for two hours until they arrived at a location she was unfamiliar with, according to court documents.

Her phone's password had to be given to the men who had surrounded her.The gang then took 8,000 bitcoins worth Dh30,000 from her account, and stole Dh8,000 in cash, including her handbag worth Dh7,200. They took a photo of her and made threats to hurt her if she called the police.

She was able to view their car's number plate once they got out of the car, though. The police were able to locate them and apprehend them thanks to this information.

Within a short time, the Dubai Police detained the suspects and reported them to the Public Prosecution. They were deported as well as given a three-year prison term and a Dh45,200 fine by the Criminal Court, reports Khaleejtimes.

Similar case was reported by Khaleej Times on Jan.8, where an Asian woman claimed to be purchasing digital currency for an Arab investor when she seized Dh200,000 from him. She was found guilty by the Dubai Misdemeanour and Infractions Court, and in addition to the money she had seized, she was also fined Dh20,000.

According to the victim, he visited the woman's office in International City, Dubai and offered her Dh200,000 in exchange for Bitcoin.

He claimed that he had been waiting for a notification regarding the deal, but the woman claimed that a technical issue would cause a delay.

The victim left the office after that and waited till the following day. But when several days passed with no notification, he realized he had been scammed and filed a complaint.

According to a police officer working on the case, the woman claimed that in exchange for the money, she had been requested to purchase local currency. The defendant further stated that she had carried out the transaction and sent the funds to a bank account in her nation.

However, the woman was referred to court on allegations of fraud and breach of trust since she was unable to support her claim.