An Indian employee is currently engaged in a legal battle to reverse a deportation order following his conviction in a cybercrime and digital trading case. The individual was accused of defrauding a victim of nearly Dh20,000 through deceptive practices on Telegram. In an effort to clear his name and avoid deportation, he is contesting the conviction at the Fujairah Appeal Court. The initial ruling from the Fujairah Primary Court found him guilty of manipulating an Arab national into transferring funds to two separate accounts.
The situation escalated when the victim reported to authorities in July that he had been approached via Telegram and persuaded to participate in online trading. Acting on the advice of the accused, the victim transferred a significant amount to the specified account. Following an investigation, police traced one of the accounts back to the 26-year-old Indian defendant, leading to his arrest on charges of cybercrime, deception, and swindling.
During police questioning, the accused maintained his innocence, asserting that he was merely performing tasks for a job he discovered on Instagram. He claimed that his role involved reaching out to clients on behalf of his employer and encouraging them to engage in online trading. The clients were instructed to transfer money into designated bank accounts for which he would receive a commission. He alleged that he was added to a WhatsApp group where he was asked to provide his bank account details, which were later used to collect funds.
The defendant was subsequently brought before the Fujairah Primary Court, where he pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Hani Hammouda Hagag, argued that his client lacked any criminal intent and did not deceive the claimant. Hagag emphasized that if fraud had been intended, the defendant would have used a false identity. Interestingly, the claimant later waived accusations against the defendant and acknowledged that both had been victims of a larger scam.
Hagag contended that his client received the funds as part of his employment and did not personally profit from them. He presented documents to support this claim and requested acquittal based on insufficient evidence. Despite these arguments, the primary court ruled against him, imposing deportation without a prison sentence. Lawyer Hagag has since filed an appeal against this decision, seeking to overturn the deportation order and establish his client’s innocence in an upcoming court hearing.
