Dubai: Three students have been accused of hiding their Emirati friend’s body in his car in a remote sandy area after he died from a heroin overdose, a court heard on Sunday.

An 18-year-old Emirati student was said to have been consuming drugs with his friend when the latter overdosed and died in August.

The 18-year-old then called up two other Emirati friends, aged 19, and asked them to help him to hide the body, according to records,

The trio were believed to have taken their dead friend’s car to a sandy spot in Al Hibab where they moved his body to the driver’s seat and left the car parked out of sight.

The friend was discovered to have died shortly after his family had lodged a missing person’s report.

Further police investigation revealed the involvement of the three students, who were summoned for questioning.

Prosecutors charged the trio with hiding the corpse.

The 18-year-old suspect was charged with providing the deceased with the heroin that led to his death after consumption.

One of the 19-year-old suspects was charged with consuming methamphetamine and amphetamine.

The trio pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.

An antinarcotics police lieutenant testified to prosecutors that the victim was reported to have been missing.

“We contacted two of the suspects, who are the deceased’s friends, to ask them about his whereabouts … but they said they did not know anything. However, a day after we were informed about the victim’s death, one of the suspect[s] called us and claimed that he had some information about the incident. The caller and his friend [the two 19-year-old suspects] came to the police station … they alleged that the 18-year-old suspect was present with the victim on the day of the incident. The[y] claimed that the 18-year-old contacted them and asked them to help him hide away the victim’s body after he died of heroin overdose. They also claimed that they met up with the 18-year-old, drove the deceased’s vehicle to Al Hibab area and parked the car out of sight in a sandy area … they moved the friend’s body to the driver[’s] seat to make it seem like he was alone when he overdosed and died,” the lieutenant told prosecutors.

The trial continues.