Dubai: Pools of blood and other tell-tale signs of gang fights have left residents of International City petrified, with many saying they want to leave for good in view of the increasing number of violent incidents in the community.
Residents of the X24 block in the England Cluster on Sunday woke up to the sight of bloodstains on every staircase of the three-storey structure. A trickle of blood near the entrance of the building led to an alarming trail up the staircase, with the walls and floors splattered in red.
A terrified Gulf News reader called in saying he had seen pools of blood on every floor of his building.
"Police knocked on our doors past midnight asking for our nationalities. I didn't dare leave my apartment, but when I left for work this morning I was horrified to see pools of blood in the entire building. I ran ... I am scared to go there again," he said.
Police declined to comment since the case is under investigation. Sources, however, told Gulf News that Asian gangs running brothels had been fighting over clients. A few arrests were made, while some of the accused are on the run. Those involved in the fight suffered minor cuts.
A police official said a raid is only conducted once officers have secured a court warrant and in full compliance with legal procedures but refused to comment on the incident.
Residents said they did not know of the brothel and were not aware of the presence of the gang but had often seen fights in the area and police patrols monitoring the area.
A resident, who has been living in the building for the past four months, claimed: "I don't know anything about the residents of that flat, but from what I have heard there were four Chinese prostitutes. I have never seen them as I live on the first floor and they reside on the third floor. A couple of times my wife and I found flyers on our doorstep about body massage offers in the building. It looked suspicious to me," he said.
Another resident claimed: "I came to my flat this morning to find my door broken down. I know that the police were raiding flats and no one responded in my house, but how could they leave it open like this without putting up signage or locking it. I have personal items in the flat."
Some residents said they had already started looking for other accommodation as they feel unsafe. "I live with my wife and luckily she is out of the country, otherwise she would have been distressed. I can't let her live in such circumstances," he said.
