Dubai: A man lost his appeal on Wednesday and will be executed for killing his wife in a fit of rage after she suspected him of adultery.

The Indian man, A.Q., and his Pakistani friend, R.A., strangled the woman in bed before putting her body in a garbage bag and leaving it in Al Fuqaa area in March 2013.

A.Q. had decided to kill his wife following constant quarrels, according to records, and after realising that it was cheaper than divorcing her and paying a monthly maintenance.

The Dubai Appeal Court dismissed the appeals of A.Q. and R.A. and upheld the capital punishment against them.

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm said the bench of appellate judges unanimously agreed to hand out the capital punishment against the two accused.

The two killers had pleaded not guilty.

A.Q.’s father said his late daughter-in-law constantly complained to him over the phone that his son often beat her and cheated on her with a Filipina.

A lieutenant said A.Q. admitted during questioning that he decided to kill his wife because he could not afford to pay her maintenance (as per Indian laws) if he divorced her.

The two friends murdered the wife in her sleep.

R.A. said his confession was obtained under coercion.

A Bangladeshi cleaner discovered the woman’s body in the morning while cleaning a sandy area around 8am, according to records.

A.Q.’s father said police informed him that his son and his best friend had killed his daughter-in-law.

“My son had known R.A. for nearly three years and shared accommodation with him. The victim moved to Dubai 15 months before her death … she constantly complained over the phone that A.Q. constantly drank and beat her. She asked me to find him a new job. She complained that her husband was having an affair with a Filipina, and that was the main reason behind their continuous family disputes,” claimed the father.

The lieutenant said the husband became the primary suspect as he had left the country shortly after the corpse was discovered.

“Primary interrogation led to R.A.’s arrest. The latter confessed that they strangled the wife. He also admitted that A.Q. gave him a gold bracelet in return for Dh600 to buy a ticket and fly to India. R.A. claimed he warned A.Q. not to kill his wife. The Pakistani claimed that on the day of the incident he found A.Q. in an abnormal situation at his flat. He claimed that A.Q. told him that he had killed his wife … R.A. confessed that when he realised that the wife was still breathing he strangled her to confirm that she was dead,” testified the lieutenant.

Records did not specify how and when the husband, A.Q., was arrested.

Wednesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.