Sharjah Court Acquits Indian Expat in Villa Rental Fraud Case
An Indian villa owner was cleared of charges in a Dh104,000 rental scam after a Sharjah court ruled he was unaware of the fraud.
A Sharjah court has acquitted an Indian expatriate who was previously sentenced to prison and deportation in connection with a Dh104,000 villa rental fraud case. The court found that the villa owner had no knowledge of the scam orchestrated by a real estate brokerage.
The accused, a senior executive at a Dubai-based company, co-owns a villa in Sharjah with his father. He was implicated as the third defendant after a prospective tenant was defrauded during a rental transaction.
Details of the Fraud
The villa owner had engaged a Sharjah real estate firm to advertise his property online. He provided a copy of the villa's registration certificate solely for advertising purposes but did not authorize the company to rent out the villa or collect payments on his behalf.
A woman interested in renting the villa agreed to pay an annual rent of Dh104,000. The brokerage prepared a tenancy contract and instructed her to transfer the full amount to its bank account. The brokerage owners, named as the first and second defendants, personally showed the villa to the tenant.
When the tenant requested a Power of Attorney from the villa owner, the brokerage assured her it was unnecessary and promised an email confirmation instead. Subsequently, a fraudulent email resembling the villa owner’s address was sent to the tenant to confirm the rental.
Relying on these assurances, the tenant transferred the payment. She was promised possession within ten days, but after the deadline, the broker became unreachable. The tenant then filed a police complaint, leading to criminal charges against three individuals, including the villa owner.
Legal Proceedings and Outcome
The villa owner was unaware of the case until he was detained at Dubai International Airport while attempting to travel abroad. The contact number in the case file was incorrect, so he had not received any notifications from authorities. He discovered that Sharjah Court had already sentenced him to one year in prison and ordered deportation, after which he was taken into custody.
Legal representation was provided by Advocate Shamsudeen Karunagappally, who secured the defendant’s release on bail and filed an appeal. A comprehensive legal memorandum was submitted, supported by evidence proving the owner’s lack of involvement in the fraud.
The Sharjah Court accepted the defense arguments, ruling that ownership of the villa and provision of registration documents alone do not imply criminal liability. It found no documented evidence linking the villa owner to the fraudulent acts and acquitted him of all charges.