A 26-year-old Indian expatriate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is facing a deportation order after being convicted in a cybercrime and digital trading scam case whereby the victim was conned Dh 19,920 (Rs 4,57,820). The expat has decided to appeal against the order claiming innocence.

The Emirates Fujairah Primary Court had convicted him of using the application Telegram to deceive an Arab national. He is now appealing his conviction before the court to clear his name and avoid deportation.

In July, the victim reported to authorities that he received a message through Telegram and was persuaded to engage in online trading. He subsequently transferred the money into other accounts that were provided by the accused. During the investigation, police found one of these accounts that had connections to the Indian man, leading to his arrest on charges of cybercrime, fraud, and fraudulence.

During police interrogations, the accused denied his involvement in the scam, claiming that he was only undertaking assignments for a new digital trading job he found on Instagram. He stated that his job entailed contacting clients and encouraging them to invest in online trading, with the money being directed to specific accounts as per the terms of his employer’s commission arrangement.

His lawyer, Hani Hammouda Hagag argued that his client had no criminal intent and further stated that the victim had withdrawn all accusations against him. To support his arguments, Hagag argued that his client did not use a fake identity, which he said was evident if the intent was to defraud the victim.

Despite these arguments, the Primary Court in Fujairah was convinced of his guilt and sentenced him to deportation rather than imprisonment.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Lawyer Hagag said that he has since appealed the ruling, aiming to overturn the deportation and prove his client innocent. A hearing before the court will be scheduled soon.