Indian IT professional convicted in Dubai for hacking 15 client websites

A 33-year-old Indian IT programmer has been sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation for hacking 15 client websites after his employer deducted USD 1,080 from his salary, according to a media report. The Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday charged the man with hacking websites and issuing threats, Gulf News reported.

The man, who was not identified, was also handed a three-month suspended jail term and will be deported immediately, the report said. According to official records, the defendant, who worked as a computer programmer with the media company, resigned and threatened to hack its client websites after 4,000 dirhams (USD 1,080) was deducted from his salary.

"He sent WhatsApp messages to another programmer at the company saying that he will hack the websites if the company did not repay him the 4,000 dirhams deducted from his salary. "He was informed that the deduction would be made if he resigned before the end of the probation period," said the company owner.

After investigation, the police said that the data found on the defendant's personal laptop confirmed that he had accessed the websites. The defendant denied the charges.

(With inputs from agencies.)