Dubai Court Acquits Three Indian Nationals in Gas Cylinder Case

Dubai: A Dubai court has acquitted three Indian nationals who were facing charges of illegally transporting gas cylinders. The court ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution was weak and insufficient to prove the defendants' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The three individuals, all from Punjab, were acquitted in the case. The charges were related to an incident on August 9, 2023, when police in the Jebel Ali police station jurisdiction seized five gas cylinders from their car. The Dubai Public Prosecution had filed two separate cases against them: one for illegally transporting flammable materials in a vehicle and another for handling petroleum products without the necessary license.

The defendants were represented by lawyers from Yab Legal Services. During the trial, the defense lawyers argued that the gas cylinders seized from the defendants could not be located later, and the prosecution failed to provide a technical report confirming their contents. They also pointed out that the police had recorded the defendants' statements without the assistance of an interpreter, as the defendants do not speak Arabic.

After reviewing the defense's arguments, the court acquitted the defendants under Article 212 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Yab Legal Services CEO Salam Pappinisseri commented that the verdict reinforces the legal principle of 'presumption of innocence' guaranteed by the UAE Constitution.