A Durban North businesswoman will never forget the man's searing eyes that looked into her own for a brief moment on Saturday morning. Moments later her day's takings were gone and her husband's safe was emptied.

Still coming to terms with the bizarre events, the owner of an upmarket gift shop said it was only several hours later that she and her husband realised that they had been hypnotised and then robbed by a "charming" family from Dubai.

"The man came into our shop with his wife and small son, about 6 years old," said store owner Jenni. "They were well dressed and wore plenty of expensive-looking jewellery. He told me they had arrived from Dubai and were opening a jewellery outlet in the same shopping complex.

They had chosen two greeting cards and, while paying, asked Jenni if she could show them what a R200 note looked like as they had never seen one. "Even when the man came to my side of the counter I thought nothing of it. I opened the till and took out a wad of notes and told him I could not see a R200 note."

"He took them from me and fanned the notes out like a pack of cards, saying this was the best way to examine them, almost as though he was doing a magician's act. He placed what I thought was all the money back in the till, smiling at me."

Municipalities are also gearing up to make arrangements for Eid prayers and in Sharjah alone 14 Mussalas (prayer grounds) and 56 mosques are being spruced up. The main prayer grounds in Sharjah areas include Al Badeah, Samnan, Al Khan, Al Falaj, including the huge King Faisal Mosque. The Qanat Al Qasbah is also lit up as are popular areas as the corniche.

In Ajman, arrangements are being made at nine prayer grounds and 11 mosques. In Dubai, the main prayer grounds are in Deira, Bur Dubai, Karama, Umm Suqeim and Rashidiya. Eid prayers can also be offered at 130 mosques.