UAE | Crime
Murder suspect caught trying to re-enter UAE on new passport
An Uzbek driver stood trial on Monday on charges of killing a businessman, putting his body in a box and burying it in Sharjah and stealing his $185,000 (about Dh678,000).
- By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:36 June 9, 2008
Dubai: An Uzbek driver stood trial on Monday on charges of killing a businessman, putting his body in a box and burying it in Sharjah and stealing his $185,000 (about Dh678,000).
Records said the Uzbek driver, 27, committed the alleged premeditated murder along with his compatriot suspects in 2002. He was arrested a few weeks ago following a problem in his immigration papers at Sharjah airport. His accomplices are still at large.
An arrest warrant was issued in his name in 2002 and when he tried to re-enter the country using a new passport, he was asked to show another identification due to discrepancies in his papers. When he showed his driver's licence he was arrested and referred to Dubai Public Prosecution.
The suspect, M.A., was charged with premeditated killing of the Russian businessman, B.A., along with the absconders. They crushed the victim's skull after hitting him with a hard object then tied and wrapped the body in a plastic bag, placed it in a metal box and buried it in the deserts of Sharjah. They also stole his money.
"I didn't kill him ... I didn't know that they planned to end his life! Had I known that I wouldn't have picked him up from Ras Al Khaimah and dropped him at the absconders' place," the driver told the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.
The victim's brother, A.B., 31, testified: "My brother had business with the suspect (M.A.) and another suspect called A. They got acquainted through a joint female friend. My brother carried $200,000 cash when he came on a business trip to Ras Al Khaimah on December 12, 2002. When we lost contact with him, I phoned the driver and his brother E. and they claimed that the deceased went to Abu Dhabi for three days ... an afghan friend contacted A. who was in Russia and I came to know that my brother was killed."
The court will assign a lawyer to defend the suspect when it reconvenes next week.
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