Man forges parking tickets to save a few dirhams, gets Dh150,000 fine

Dubai: A driver has been fined Dh150,000 for tampering with two parking tickets and placing them on the dashboard of his vehicle to park free of charge in Al Baraha. An Emirati inspector at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) discovered that the 41-year-old Indian driver, K.S., had tampered with a parking ticket and parked his car near Al Khansa Roundabout on April 21. Three days later, the same inspector discovered that the same car had another forged ticket on the dashboard before police came and apprehended K.S., who had parked the vehicle. The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted K.S. of forging an electronic document and fined him Dh150,000. Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal also jailed K.S. for three months after he pleaded guilty. According to Tuesday’s ruling, the accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment. The defendant admitted before the court that he forged two parking tickets and used the forged tickets to park for free on a Tuesday and a Saturday. The inspector testified that he discovered the first forged ticket at 5.45pm after the driver had left it on the dashboard. “I noticed that the car driver had tampered with the dates mentioned on the ticket … it was April 20 but the dates mentioned on the ticket read April 21. I gazed at the ticket closely and it was obvious that the ticket had been forged. My supervisor asked me to wait until the driver returned, but I missed him and he [K.S.] managed to leave. A few days later, I saw the same car and the driver had done the same thing … he placed another forged parking ticket on the dashboard. This time I called up the police … they called him up and summoned him to the parking lot where he was apprehended. Two forged tickets were seized in his possession,” said the inspector. The defendant was quoted as admitting to prosecutors that he had tampered with two parking tickets to park for free. Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.