The Sharjah Court of First Instance has sentenced a man to six months in prison for defrauding a buyer in a fraudulent wholesale mobile phone transaction. The defendant received AED 692,000 from the victim after promising to deliver 160 iPhone 17 Pro Max devices.

The verdict was issued on July 16, 2026, by the Fifth Circuit of the Sharjah Misdemeanors Court. The court also ordered the defendant to pay legal costs and referred the victim's compensation claim to the civil court for further proceedings.

According to the Public Prosecution's investigation, the defendant posed as the owner of a mobile phone trading company and claimed he could supply 160 iPhones. However, investigations revealed that he did not possess a licensed company in this field, nor did he have the phones he had promised to sell.

The transaction took place on February 20, 2024, near the Emirates Post office on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street in Sharjah. The buyer brought AED 692,000 in cash inside a laptop bag to the meeting point. After receiving the money, the defendant claimed he was going to a nearby location to collect the phones but never returned.

He later sent a location in the Al Nahda area to the buyer via WhatsApp, instructing him to wait there for the devices. The prosecution described this action as an attempt to mislead the victim and gain more time to escape with the money.

In court, the defendant denied the fraud charges and described the case as a commercial dispute. However, the court, citing witness testimony and available evidence, ruled that he had obtained the buyer's money through false pretenses from the outset, with no intention or ability to deliver the goods.