# Theft case against Me.



## checkmatedeep (Jan 28, 2013)

Dear Adviser,

20-25 days back, my Dad brought Samsung Galaxy ACE from Burdubai from people who sell Branded Phones on road at low Price. Since the Model was new and at best price, my dad brought it for AED 250.00

I dad didn't know how to operate it as he is not tech/phone savvy, he inserted his SIM and switched if OFF and kept it at home as it was beyond his use. Few days back My dad left for a vacation and I asked my dad if I could use the phone since he was not using it. 

Today I got a call Dubai CID officer and he informed me that Samsung Galaxy Ace that i am using is stolen and I need to come to Jabel Ali Police Station. I informed them how this phone got to my hand and then the CID officer asked me to com to Jabel Ali PS at the earliest.

When I reached there, he took my statement and he said he believe me and he took my statement and asked me go the police officer in the next room. The police officer asked me to get my passport or some one who can give his/her PP as a guarantee and I am free to go.

I ended up calling my brother to bring his PP. In the mean time the police officer took my statement again and asked me to sign on the papers which was in Arabic. When I asked him whats in it? he said Its my statement and I ended up signing eventually.

later the office took my bros PP and gave him the receipt and asked me to go for a finger Print Scan and let me off. When I asked the officer if I and My bro can tlk to the person whos phone is this and explain them our side of the story, the officer refused to share the details.

later the Police Station Manager informed me that my case will be send to prosecution and I will have to go there and tell them what all happened and then they will decide what to do. He said I will also get the Case File No to follow up the case.

My Question is 
1. Can I travel to India as my wedding is after 4 days.
2. How can we close this case.
3. What are the issues I can face.
4. Will I have any issues at the airport when I go or come back to UAE.


Me and My family are god fearing person, this thing just happened to me and this can happen to anyone. When I spoke to my dad he said he didn't knew the phone was stolen and they didn't even gave him a bill but he took as he was getting a good deal.

Please advice...Need your best advice to come out clean.

This is more than a Worse Nightmare and bad day of my life...


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## CorbeauCerveau (Jan 18, 2013)

get a lawyer .


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## CorbeauCerveau (Jan 18, 2013)

Some more advice... as someone who has worked in the legal profession in the states and soon in Dubai... 

1) Never ask for legal advice online, because something as serious as this should be dealt with by officials 
2) Never sign anything that you cannot read... you should have asked for a translated copy to sign as well as an affidavit from the translator saying they translated said document on said date. Furthermore, you should've kept a copy of the statement you signed. 
3) Get a lawyer. Seriously.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

CorbeauCerveau said:


> Some more advice... as someone who has worked in the legal profession in the states and soon in Dubai...
> 
> 1) Never ask for legal advice online, because something as serious as this should be dealt with by officials
> 2) Never sign anything that you cannot read... you should have asked for a translated copy to sign as well as an affidavit from the translator saying they translated said document on said date. Furthermore, you should've kept a copy of the statement you signed.
> 3) Get a lawyer. Seriously.


4. Be smart enough to know that when someone is selling a phone for 1/10 the price on the side of the road it is either
a. Fake and will break minutes after you get home
b. Hot


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## checkmatedeep (Jan 28, 2013)

CorbeauCerveau said:


> Some more advice... as someone who has worked in the legal profession in the states and soon in Dubai...
> 
> 1) Never ask for legal advice online, because something as serious as this should be dealt with by officials
> 2) Never sign anything that you cannot read... you should have asked for a translated copy to sign as well as an affidavit from the translator saying they translated said document on said date. Furthermore, you should've kept a copy of the statement you signed.
> 3) Get a lawyer. Seriously.



Thank you for the information. But honestly speaking I cannot afford a lawyer with the current financial situation i am in at the moment.

Secondly I was not aware of things like affidavit or a translation copy.


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## checkmatedeep (Jan 28, 2013)

fcjb1970 said:


> 4. Be smart enough to know that when someone is selling a phone for 1/10 the price on the side of the road it is either
> a. Fake and will break minutes after you get home
> b. Hot


If It was me, I would have never ended up buying the phones from road side. It was my dad who ended up into this.


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

Sounds like you've confessed to the crime as far as that statement is concerned. Never sign anything unless you know what it says.


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## checkmatedeep (Jan 28, 2013)

m1key said:


> Sounds like you've confessed to the crime as far as that statement is concerned. Never sign anything unless you know what it says.


Nope, I didn't commit any crime. It just I fall as a victim. Moreover the officer said what i signed is my same what i said in my statement.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

The officer's word really means nothing. He can very well deny anything that he has said to you. At the end of the day, your written and signed statement is the only thing that will be regarded as true and correct.

Please get a lawyer as soon as possible. Go to the police station with this lawyer and ask for copies of all the papers that you have signed. If you can't afford a lawyer, you will most likely go to jail.

I really hope things work out for you.


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## CorbeauCerveau (Jan 18, 2013)

checkmatedeep said:


> Thank you for the information. But honestly speaking I cannot afford a lawyer with the current financial situation i am in at the moment.
> 
> Secondly I was not aware of things like affidavit or a translation copy.


Okay, I understand. No one will be able to answer your question, because no one knows what you actually signed. You need a lawyer... try to find a pro-bono lawyer or go to the Indian consulate and ask them to get you a lawyer or advice. 

No here comes the scorn and I hope you learn something from this: NEVER. EVER. NEVER EVER sign a document with YOUR NAME that you don't understand. This is advice for everyone: 

a) Get a translated copy of whatever you're signing
b) Get an affidavit from the translator he translated X document on X day. 
c) Keep copies of all 3 documents... the original, the translation, and the affidavit. 

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. I can understand why you didn't know about affidavits... but dude... how did you not even think to ask to request a translated copy?


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

CorbeauCerveau said:


> how did you not even think to ask to request a translated copy?


Fear and duress


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

checkmatedeep said:


> Nope, I didn't commit any crime. It just I fall as a victim. Moreover the officer said what i signed is my same what i said in my statement.


What I meant was, you have signed a statement. That statement quite possibly/probably says you admit to the crime. Ergo, a confession. Do as Corbeau suggests. At the very least get a copy of what you signed and get it translated so you know what you're dealing with.


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## joandubaidreaming (Jan 3, 2013)

My deep feelings go out to you. Whatever you do, do not try to leave the country cos that will only make matters worse. I pray it all works out well for you and your future bride


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

I know this is no help whatsoever but what you should have done was hang up, remove your sim card, throw the phone in the creek, put the sim card in a bin somewhere and move on with your life. If they trace the phone number back to you, you just say that you lost your phone at the beach a few weeks earlier.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

You can travel as you have your passport, but be aware that your brother is now stuck here as he has handed his passport in as a guarantee. This means, should you decide not to return, your brother will not be able to get his passport back until someone else lodges their passport to replace his. The other thing to consider is,if you travel, you may miss your court date, which leads back round to the fact that you need an Arabic speaking lawyer to represent you. One more factor - is your fiancee already living here - if so, does she nave her own visa? Or are you planning to bring her here. If she has a visa, I suggest you don't change anything as what happens to you could affect here status. If she needs a visa, I would not yet apply for the same reason. If her visa is from her father, you may need to check if she can remain on that if she marries you, because I am not sure she can. Good luck, I hope things work out for you.


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

Gavtek said:


> I know this is no help whatsoever but what you should have done was hang up, remove your sim card, throw the phone in the creek, put the sim card in a bin somewhere and move on with your life. If they trace the phone number back to you, you just say that you lost your phone at the beach a few weeks earlier.


+1 yep, exactly my thought.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

oh this looks horrible.... I am so sorry you are about to have to find out what being an honest person gets you. The world really is a backwards place.


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## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

CorbeauCerveau said:


> Okay, I understand. No one will be able to answer your question, because no one knows what you actually signed. You need a lawyer... try to find a pro-bono lawyer or go to the Indian consulate and ask them to get you a lawyer or advice.
> 
> No here comes the scorn and I hope you learn something from this: NEVER. EVER. NEVER EVER sign a document with YOUR NAME that you don't understand. This is advice for everyone:
> 
> ...


Usually its easy to say that but in my opinion when an expat who doesn't know Arabic ,is held in a police station in Dubai ... the cops don't easily allow you to get a translator & if you refuse to sign a document you don't understand ,they make it more tough on you ........ basically you cannot tell them to do 'things' ,just barely request them


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## LONGGOOD BYE (Dec 26, 2011)

I think you need to weigh the options of either signing something and maybe going to jail or having them treat you bad.If they ask you to sign somethng you can't read ask to speak with your embassy even if the embassy can't do anything once the police hear you start saying embassy they may back off a little since they don't want trouble.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Unfortunately, most embassies in the UAE are rubbish, especially the Asian countries. No-one will actually put their necks out to help anyone, they don't want to "rock the boat" and jeopardise their cushy posting in Dubai.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

LONGGOOD BYE said:


> I think you need to weigh the options of either signing something and maybe going to jail or having them treat you bad.If they ask you to sign somethng you can't read ask to speak with your embassy even if the embassy can't do anything once the police hear you start saying embassy they may back off a little since they don't want trouble.


Nope, embassies will not get involved with criminal cases and the police and authorities know it! The only reason an embassy will step in, is if someone is being mistreated.

Plus the police aren't going to give you a translated copy or get a translator, they'd rather chuck you in a cell until you sign it.


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## M.A.K (Sep 14, 2011)

Its a horrible situation that you are in and getting a Lawyer is the only solution at hand. Try if your embassy would help you out with a Lawyer but don't worry about the costs for now because the only other likely option is being jailed and then deported.
One more thing which you can try is to get a local involved. If any one of your family members has a local 'sponsor' or if you have any local friend just try to get them to sort this out for you.


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## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

Gavtek said:


> I know this is no help whatsoever but what you should have done was hang up, remove your sim card, throw the phone in the creek, put the sim card in a bin somewhere and move on with your life. If they trace the phone number back to you, you just say that you lost your phone at the beach a few weeks earlier.


A question here ... After getting traced ,when he says that he lost his phone ,they would immediately ask that how were you able to receive the call from police when they called you the first time . If he says he bought a new replacement SIM after loosing his phone ,he could easily be proved wrong when the cops cross-check with Etisalat & if he goes for the replacement SIM after the cops called him and disposing the 'hot' phone ,he will still be considered suspicious ..........
So the above advice is also not the best solution if anybody falls into such a trap !


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

The last post on this thread was 2 and a half months ago. What are you doing?


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## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

probably this question just hit me now .............. but could be useful for peeps reading it now especially ,those who get 'trapped' in such situations


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## Ad Rem (Apr 12, 2013)

ibkiss said:


> A question here ... After getting traced ,when he says that he lost his phone ,they would immediately ask that how were you able to receive the call from police when they called you the first time . If he says he bought a new replacement SIM after loosing his phone ,he could easily be proved wrong when the cops cross-check with Etisalat & if he goes for the replacement SIM after the cops called him and disposing the 'hot' phone ,he will still be considered suspicious ..........
> So the above advice is also not the best solution if anybody falls into such a trap !


I think u got it wrong. What Gavtek said was not advice for now, cause its too late. The guy should do this from the beginning: he should hang up on the police, get rid of his SIM card along with the Galaxy .. and wait. After they reach him (probably through the sim registration) he would say he never got a call from the police, as his mobile got stolen at the beach .. In this way they wouldn't have any proof that he was actually the one who had stolen Galaxy in his hands ... It would lead the police that someone third stole the Galaxy, as well as the phone of the accused gu.
The only hole I see here is that the police could track down the location of the Galaxy at the moment when the guy answered the phone. Therefore, they wouldn't think that the third party is involved, as the phone was answered from the house of the accused guy ... 

Do I make sense to anyone?


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## Ad Rem (Apr 12, 2013)

Gavtek said:


> The last post on this thread was 2 and a half months ago. What are you doing?


Finally, what happened to the guy ??? He should update us!


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## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

Ad Rem said:


> I think u got it wrong. What Gavtek said was not advice for now, cause its too late. The guy should do this from the beginning: he should hang up on the police, get rid of his SIM card along with the Galaxy .. and wait. After they reach him (probably through the sim registration) he would say he never got a call from the police, as his mobile got stolen at the beach .. In this way they wouldn't have any proof that he was actually the one who had stolen Galaxy in his hands ... It would lead the police that someone third stole the Galaxy, as well as the phone of the accused gu.
> *The only hole I see here is that the police could track down the location of the Galaxy at the moment when the guy answered the phone. Therefore, they wouldn't think that the third party is involved, as the phone was answered from the house of the accused guy ... *
> 
> Do I make sense to anyone?


OR ......... which is possible with the latest technology ,the cops (if they have the recording of their conversation) can easily match the voice with the accused guy they have in their custody


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## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

Ad Rem said:


> Finally, what happened to the guy ??? He should update us!


that seems unlikely ... :nod:


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## Ad Rem (Apr 12, 2013)

ibkiss said:


> OR ......... which is possible with the latest technology ,the cops (if they have the recording of their conversation) can easily match the voice with the accused guy they have in their custody


OR .. 
Which number pops up when they call ?


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## Ad Rem (Apr 12, 2013)

ibkiss said:


> that seems unlikely ... :nod:


Why? Moderators should be able to contact him via e-mail ...

Its worth trying, cause the final outcome would be a learning experience for many ... And that's exactly the purpose of this forum, right?


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## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

Ad Rem said:


> Why? Moderators should be able to contact him via e-mail ...
> 
> Its worth trying, cause the final outcome would be a learning experience for many ... And that's exactly the purpose of this forum, right?


you have a point but I guess to know the climax ,things aren't easy ..... probably this guy doesn't want to recall that horrible moment or is not in UAE .....


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

Ad Rem said:


> Why? Moderators should be able to contact him via e-mail ...


Just to make it clear, moderators do not have access to member emails, while there are things they have access to, such as deleting, editing, moving of posts/threads and other mod actions, we cannot see the members personal contact info that they enter when signing up. 

Privacy is a matter that is taken seriously in this forum. 



Ad Rem said:


> Its worth trying, cause the final outcome would be a learning experience for many ... And that's exactly the purpose of this forum, right?


I understand where you are coming from, but also know that no one such situation is the same as the next one, there exist far too many variables in such matters for anyone to be able to apply the same processes/decisions/conclusions to their own situation, should they unfortunately find themselves in them. 

Also, I am pretty sure that discussing or evaluting methods of evading the authorities is certainly not one of the purposes of the forum. The original post by a member was made in an effort to help/offer some advice, lets not dissect the merits/demerits of said advice and thereby inadvertently venture into dubious territory.

p.s: not trying to be authoritative, just putting a point out there


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## Ad Rem (Apr 12, 2013)

saraswat said:


> Just to make it clear, moderators do not have access to member emails, while there are things they have access to, such as deleting, editing, moving of posts/threads and other mod actions, we cannot see the members personal contact info that they enter when signing up.
> 
> Privacy is a matter that is taken seriously in this forum.
> 
> ...


Saraswat, I am really wondering why are u so defensive .... My post surely doesn't deserve ur tone. :confused2:
Nobody here is trying to do any evading or any conspiracy against the authorities. U r taking it tooooo far. The OP's case is simple. It could happen to anyone, all of us have at least one member of the family that could do such a silly thing as buying the phone on the street. It doesn't mean that we are criminals, but it can get us in some serious trouble, ESPECIALLY in the UAE. Therefore, the follow up of this particular case would help us a great deal. 

Regarding the email, vey nice of u for "making it clear". However, it was just a proposal and not questioning the "privacy of the forum".


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Ad Rem said:


> Saraswat, I am really wondering why are u so defensive .... My post surely doesn't deserve ur tone. :confused2:
> Nobody here is trying to do any evading or any conspiracy against the authorities. U r taking it tooooo far. The OP's case is simple. It could happen to anyone, all of us have at least one member of the family that could do such a silly thing as buying the phone on the street. It doesn't mean that we are criminals, but it can get us in some serious trouble, ESPECIALLY in the UAE. Therefore, the follow up of this particular case would help us a great deal.
> 
> Regarding the email, vey nice of u for "making it clear". However, it was just a proposal and not questioning the "privacy of the forum".


I doubt he's being defensive. He merely had the courtesy to explain about he forum policies and rules as most people don't care to read them 

Either way, this is an old thread that got resurrected (thanks ibkiss). The person who posted it has not logged back in the forum in months so is not very likely that he will come and report back what was the final outcome.


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