Dubai: A man, who murdered a shop vendor with the help of two others in April 2003 and remained at large since then, appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty.

The 46-year-old Pakistani man, conspired with his countryman trader and an Indian tailor against the vendor, killed him in his shop and stole Dh300, ATM card and mobile phones and fled from the scene.

Police identified the culprits after one of them used the victim’s stolen ATM card to withdraw Dh5,500 cash from his bank account.

The Pakistani man fled the country instantly following the murder.

In April 2004, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the three suspects for life in jail followed by deportation.

The 46-year-old was sentenced in absentia.

The life imprisonments against the other two defendants were upheld by the Courts of Appeal and Cassation and became irrevocable.

Law enforcement officers apprehended the Pakistani defendant after having stayed at large for more than 14 years.

After his arrest, the 46-year-old suspect requested a retrial and when he appeared before the court on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors accused the suspect of intentional murder using a knife and a stick. He was also accused of theft.

“I did not kill the victim … I am not guilty,” the defendant told presiding judge Shaikha Hamad.

A Dubai Police lieutenant testified that one of the relatives of the victim informed the police that someone had been using the deceased’s ATM card.

“The relative informed us that he had received a bank statement showing the ATM card had been used to withdraw Dh5,500 from the victim’s account. We checked the CCTV cameras at the bank and at the ATM machine. We identified the trader first and he was arrested from his shop in Naif area. The trader admitted during questioning that he and the two other culprits committed the murder and stole victim’s belongings. He also admitted that the Pakistani suspect who had been going through financial problems persuaded them to commit the crime,” the lieutenant said.

Prosecution records confirmed that the Indian tailor was apprehended at Dubai International Airport when he returned from India where he had fled after the murder.

According to records the three suspects beat the victim at his shop with a stick until he fell unconscious on the floor.

While the defendants were searching the shop for cash, according to records, the victim regained consciousness on which Pakistani man stabbed him to death.

The three defendants fled from the crime scene in a taxi that dropped them behind Deira Cinema.

The presiding judge said the court will appoint a lawyer to defend the 46-year-old suspect when it reconvenes on August 6.