Dubai: A visitor has been accused of resisting arrest and assaulting two policemen who tried to apprehend him while he was leaving massage spa cards on windshields of cars.

The two policemen were said to have spotted the 29-year-old Nigerian visitor leaving cards of a massage spa on vehicles at 10.45pm and stopped him to ask him about those cards in February.

Once the two officers told the visitor that they are law enforcement officers, according to records, the Nigerian tried to run away. The policemen instantly restrained him and when they tried to stop him, he beat them and pushed them and resisted arrest for some time until they managed to handcuff him.

Prosecutors accused the 29-year-old of resisting arrest and beating two police officers who tried to apprehend him.

When the Nigerian showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance, he pleaded not guilty and contended that he did not know that they were policemen.

“Two men took me by surprise from behind and tried to apprehend me. I did not know that they were policemen and they did not identify themselves as law enforcement officers. They just tried to grab me … I did not have any criminal intent,” argued the suspect as he defended himself before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

One of the assaulted officers claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened when they tried to question the suspect about the massage spa cards.

“We stopped the man and once my partner notified him that we are policemen, he tried to abscond. We held him but he resisted, pushed us and beat us as well. He punched me and caused me nose bleeding … my partner also sustained some bruises when he tried to handcuff the suspect when he tried to run away. After we had him restrained, we accompanied him to the police station along with the massage spa cards,” he testified to policemen.

The other assaulted officer claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened in Al Nahda. “We handed him over to the police station before my partner and I were taken to Rashid Hospital to obtain a medical report,” he testified.

A ruling will be heard on June 18.