Dubai: A salesman has been accused of attacking an immigration officer with a pocketknife after the latter caught him placing massage cards on windshields of cars.

The 27-year-old Bangladeshi salesman was said to be roaming around parked cars in the street and leaving massage cards on windshields in February when the Emirati immigration officer and his partner spotted him.

Records stated that the immigration officers were on a routine check for illegal workers when they spotted the salesman randomly leaving massage cards on cars.

One of the officers called the number mentioned on one of the cards and the Bangladeshi man answered the call and explained about the various types of massages that they offered.

The officer then agreed to meet the salesman at a certain point and, when they did, the officer presented his ID and asked the 27-year-old for his Emirates ID and papers.

As the salesman hesitated, the officer was about to handcuff him but he pulled out a pocketknife and attacked the officer leaving him bleeding profusely.

Meanwhile the officer’s partner, who had called for a police backup, intervened in an attempt to restrain the salesman but he ran away.

Prosecutors accused the 27-year-old of assaulting a law enforcement officer carrying out his duties and injuring him.

The suspect pleaded not guilty and denied the accusation when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.

The immigration officer testified before prosecutors that he was attacked after he and his partner spotted the suspect placing massage cards on cars. “I dialled the number mentioned on the card and the salesman replied. I asked him about the types of massage they offer before I agreed to meet him so he would guide me to the massage place. Once I met him, I presented my ID and asked him for his papers. He hesitated for a while and did not take out his ID; then he took me by surprise as he pulled out a small knife from his pocket and slashed my wrist when I tried to apprehend him. Then he ran away; we notified the police. Following the arrest of the suspect, I identified him,” he told prosecutors.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar will hand out a judgement in the case on April 13.