Aiming to avoid a cut to his salary, a Jordanian man used coffee to alter the UAE stamps on his passport.
Although the man, who works as a sports coach in a company supervised by the UAE Armed Forces, made the bizarre alterations in 2015, the scheme was discovered in September when he arrived at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport, according to Khaleej Times.
The man's unusual case was heard this week in a Dubai court.
An immigration officer noticed the alterations as the man tried to pass through customs.
"When I pointed it out, [the defendant] said he poured coffee on it by mistake, but it showed that both stamps have been erased intentionally," the officer told prosecutors.
He explained that as he questioned the Jordanian national further, the man became increasingly agitated.
"He then revealed that he erased the dates to hide the fact that he travelled without his sponsoring company's permission," the officer said.
Apparently, the defendant's colleagues warned him that money would be deducted from his salary after he overstayed his annual leave. A fine of 500 Emirati dirhams ($136.13) would be taken from him per day.
Wanting to avoid losing the money, the man used a wet tissue and coffee to alter the entry and exit dates on his passport, according to Gulf Today. He then gave his passport to his company without anyone noticing.
Two years passed, and then the mindful immigration officer noticed the discrepancy in how the stamps appeared. Initially, the Jordanian tried to argue that he poured coffee on his passport by mistake, but eventually, he admitted what he'd done.
The outcome of the case is still pending.