Dubai: A jobless man has been accused of stabbing his coworker, who was asleep, with a knife and killing him over a Dh3,000 unpaid loan.

Prosecutors charged the 28-year-old Bangladeshi man, T.I., with intentionally stabbing his coworker, M.H., to death on January 17.

The defendant was cited admitting to the police that he stabbed the victim three times because he was about to leave the country without repaying him his money.

Jail wardens did not bring T.I. from his detention centre and take him before the Dubai Court of First Instance where he was scheduled to be prosecuted on Sunday.

According to the accusation sheet, the defendant used a knife and stabbed the victim thrice in his stomach while he was asleep.

A Pakistani businessman testified that he was with his friend when the defendant informed him over the phone about the killing in a villa in Hor Al Anz. “The suspect, T.I., claimed to me over the phone that he had a fight with the victim and killed him. I asked him to report to the police, but he refused and hung up. I headed to the villa and called T.I. I asked him to come to the villa but he refused and said he was in Sharjah. He hung up his phone. I met a Bangladeshi person in the villa… he told me the incident happened in room 18. I saw the victim lying in his pool of blood over the washroom floor. I rushed out immediately and called the police,” claimed the businessman.

A Bangladeshi driver testified that T.I. called him on January 19 and asked if he could find someone to help him leave the country.

“He told me that he was present in Fujairah and wanted me to find someone to help him abscond to Oman. He hung up his phone as soon as I asked him why. They called me from my workplace… when I went there, I found the police. I told them what happened and that the suspect wanted to leave the country. Police asked me to cooperate with them and help them arrest the defendant. When the defendant called me again, I claimed to him that I found someone capable of smuggling him out through Hatta,” claimed the driver.

Prosecution records said the suspect was arrested waiting for the driver in a taxi from Ajman around 2am.

An Emirati lieutenant said the defendant admitted that he stabbed M.H. after the latter failed to repay him Dh3,000 which he lent him.

The trial continues.