Dubai: Two technicians have been accused of luring their boss into a warehouse before stabbing him to death and stealing Dh172,000 from him.
The Pakistani duo, 31-year-old M.R. and 36-year-old M.A., were said to have murdered their countryman boss, I.K., before stealing two cheques worth Dh80,000 and withdrawing Dh92,000 in cash from his bank account in May 2009.
The defendants fled the country after the alleged murder. M.A. was extradited via Interpol from Pakistani following his arrest in June 2013, meanwhile M.R. remains at large.
The men are accused of luring I.K. to the warehouse in Al Rashidiya after telling him that they needed to perform some maintenance work to the cooling system.
Prosecutors said M.A. made I.K. take measurements while M.R. came from behind and stabbed him several times.
Records said M.R. jabbed the knife in I.K.’s face to disfigure it and make it unrecognisable before slitting his throat.
The duo are then said to have stolen the deceased’s safe keys and gone to his office, where they stole two cheques and bank cards.
Prosecutors are seeking the death sentence. M.A. entered a not guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
A Pakistani witness testified that I.K. went missing for a few days before he and the victim’s brother reported him missing.
Body found in bag
A police major testified to prosecutors that I.K.’s body was recovered in a deserted warehouse near Dubai International Airport in 2009.
“The partly-decayed body was hidden in a huge plastic bag. The deceased was repeatedly stabbed in his chest, face and neck. Primary interrogations revealed that M.R. was the last person spotted with I.K. before he left the country unexpectedly. The assailants had stolen the victim’s wallet and car keys … when we checked the bank accounts of the deceased, we discovered that M.R. had emptied them. The company’s [where the defendants and victim worked] records showed that M.A., who had been recently hired, had also left the country unexpectedly. The 36-year-old was arrested and repatriated from Pakistan in 2013. During questioning, M.A. claimed that he met M.R. and they convinced the victim to go with them to do the maintenance. While working, M.A. claimed that M.R. took out a knife from under his clothes and killed I.K. He also alleged that he helped M.R. put the victim’s body in the bag because he was afraid. The repatriated defendant claimed during questioning that M.R. gave him Dh10,000 and asked him to leave the country after buying him a ticket,” the major told prosecutors. The court will appoint a lawyer to defend the suspect when it reconvenes on April 27.
