Dubai: A 62-year-old Omani fisherman has lost his appeal against a 27-month jail term for attempting to molest a nine-year-old Indian school boy here. The incident happened in May when the Omani national only identified as 'M A' was drunk and was found luring the minor with two Dirham and juice. The boy was then spotted by two Bangladeshi cleaners who then rushed after him and saved the boy from being abused. "I went to play cricket with my friends. The defendant came after five minutes and offered me a cold drink, but I refused. He gave me two Dirham ... then he hugged and kissed me. When I refused to go with him, he pulled me by the arm," said the boy.

"He forced me into a building's elevator and forced me to do something bad but I refused. Then two men came and stopped the defendant," the boy was quoted as saying to Gulf News. The Bangladeshi cleaner said they felt something was not right when they noticed the elderly man pushing the boy into the building. "We searched for the boy everywhere, until we found him on the rooftop room and rescued the boy," the cleaners said. The Dubai appeal court rejected M A's appeal and upheld imprisonment against him of two years for sexually abusing the boy and three months for getting drunk.