Bank card lands young man in custody for three weeks
The young man let friends use his card after they told him they wanted to buy games
Dubai: A young man spent three weeks in custody after lending his bank card to friends who told him they wanted to buy games, only for investigators to discover that the card had instead been used to purchase drugs, Dubai prosecutors have revealed.
The young man was detained pending investigations after the transaction came to the attention of the authorities. Investigators later established that he had not been involved in the drug purchase and subsequently arrested those actually responsible, according to Al Bayan newspaper.
Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.
Dubai Public Prosecution officials cited the case as a warning to members of the public, particularly young people, against allowing others to use their bank cards or personal accounts, or carrying out transfers and deposits without knowing their true purpose.
They said an apparently simple favour, lending a card, sharing an account or transferring money for someone else, could result in serious legal consequences if the transaction was connected to illegal activity.
The warning was issued during a “Legal Chats” session marking World Law Day, organised by Dubai’s Community Development Authority in cooperation with Dubai Public Prosecution at Al Warqa Majlis.
Counsellor Dr Mohammed Hussein bin Ali, Senior Advocate General at Deira Prosecution, recounted the young man’s case, saying he had agreed to let his friends use the card after they told him they intended to buy games.
The card was instead used to buy narcotics, leading to the young man’s arrest and three weeks in custody while the circumstances were investigated.
Dr bin Ali said investigators eventually established that the young man was not involved, while the authorities were able to identify and arrest those responsible for the drug purchase.
Hamad Al Amiri, a prosecutor at the Drug Prosecution, said legal responsibility surrounding narcotics was not confined to drug use, promotion or trafficking, but could also extend to actions that facilitate obtaining them.
He said some cases begin with what appears to be a straightforward request to transfer or deposit money into an account, when the real purpose is to pay for drugs.
Al Amiri also stressed the importance of families in preventing drug abuse, saying close-knit families were better placed to recognise problems affecting their children and intervene before they escalated.
He said families also had a role in supporting people struggling with drug use and directing them towards the appropriate authorities for assistance.
The session was also attended by Counsellor Shihab Ahmed Saleh, Advocate General at the Family and Juvenile Prosecution.
