Dubai: Eleven men have denied the charges of premeditated murder of an unidentified bootlegging rival, tossing him up in the air to confirm his death and burying him.
Prosecutors said the suspects, ten Indians and a Pakistani, aged between 20 and 29, used swords, wooden rods and iron bars to kill the victim because he and three others had formed a bootlegging team selling alcohol in the same area.
Prosecution records said the defendants beat the victim then buried him near Ibn Battuta Mall. When the suspects appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance, they denied the charge of premeditated murder and also dismissed the accusation that they buried the victim's body.
Gang up
According to the arraignment sheet, prosecutors charged ten of the suspects with premeditated murder of the victim whose nationality and identity is yet to be ascertained.
The suspects were said to have ganged up against the victim, beat him then strangled him with a piece of cloth before burying him.
They were also charged with hiding his body and possessing liquor for trading purposes.
An eleventh suspect, 23-year-old worker, was charged with aiding and abetting with the suspects in the murder.
Six of the suspects admitted before Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout on Tues that they consumed alcohol.
The trial continues.
