A man who promised to secure a place for a father’s son at a college was jailed for six months after swindling him out of Dh1.515 million, a court ruled.
The Sharjah Court of First Instance found the man guilty of using a false identity and claims of influential connections to persuade the father that he could arrange the admission. The court referred the case to the competent civil court and ordered the defendant to pay court fees.
The case began when the father, seeking help to enrol his son, was referred to the defendant by an acquaintance. The father contacted him by phone, and the defendant claimed he could fulfil the request. He then asked for Dh70,000 in cash, which he collected from the son at a shopping centre in Sharjah.
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The demands did not end there. The defendant later met the father at a hotel and claimed he could register the son at the college. He asked for a further Dh445,000, saying it was for the first year’s tuition, and requested another Dh1 million for investment.
The following day, the son handed the defendant Dh1.445 million. Together they totalled Dh1.515 million. The promised college admission never took place, and the defendant did not return the money.
A woman with a working relationship with the father and both professional and personal ties to the defendant told the court she intervened after learning about the dispute. She said the defendant acknowledged receiving the money.
The father’s legal representative told the court the defendant had tried to avoid leaving evidence from the outset. He insisted on cash, claiming the nature of his work prevented him from receiving funds through his bank account. He also required the payments to be handed over inside his private car.
The representative said the parties’ relationship was traced, including checks into the defendant’s identity and circumstances, their meetings and communications. The payments were documented, and witness accounts and phone messages were gathered as evidence for the court.
After reviewing the case, the court found that the defendant had used a false identity and fraudulent means to persuade the father to hand over the money. It sentenced him to six months in prison and referred the matter to the civil court.