Dubai: Three men lost their appeal and will be jailed for life each for killing two guards stationed at a company in Dubai Investment Park and stealing Dh34,000 worth of diesel.

The two drivers and a worker planned the crime with an Egyptian worker at the company they targeted before premeditatedly murdering the Pakistani watchmen on duty and making off with the stolen diesel in March 2010.

In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the Pakistani trio, aged between 30 and 40, of intentionally killing the watchmen and stealing diesel.

The trio appealed the primary judgement before the Dubai Court of Appeals and sought to acquit themselves after they pleaded not guilty.

Their lawyer argued before the appellate court that the pieces of evidence produced by prosecutors against his clients were insufficient and uncorroborated enough to indict the defendants.

Since the primary interrogation stages, the defendants had denied their involvement in the murder. The main suspect [the Egyptian worker], who probably murdered the victims, remains at large … during the heist, the Pakistani trio remained outside the premises of the company that was robbed. Besides, forensic examiners did not find fingerprints associating the defendants to the murder. Meanwhile, the absconder had hidden the corpses to prevent the trio from learning that he had committed a murder,” argued the lawyer.

Presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif dismissed the defendants’ appeal and upheld the life imprisonment of the defendants. They will be deported after serving their jail terms.

Records said the Egyptian absconder was apprehended and tried in Egypt.

The trio had pleaded not guilty and accused the Egyptian of killing the guards before they stole the diesel and smuggled it out of the company’s premises.

Records said the Egyptian and the Pakistanis came prepared and brought a knife, masks and a tanker, in which they smuggled the stolen diesel out of the company after they had murdered the two watchmen.

A police lieutenant testified that they were informed about a murder that had taken place at 6pm.

“We rushed to the company’s premises where one of the workers guided us to the spot where a watchman had been stabbed and killed. Ten minutes later, we found the second watchman’s body, also stabbed and left inside a garbage container that was 300 metres away from the first corpse. Preliminary interrogations revealed that the Egyptian defendant had cancelled his contract with the company and left the UAE on the day of the murders. He became the main suspect in the case. It was also revealed that the trio had been involved in stealing the diesel. We apprehended them from their house in Warsan area at 5am,” the lieutenant said.

“During questioning, the three defendants said they had agreed with the Egyptian to steal the diesel from his workplace. On the day of the crime, the trio said they drove two diesel tankers to the company’s location at Dubai Investment Park. The Egyptian trespassed into the company’s premises to open the door, claimed the trio. An hour later, they alleged, the Egyptian opened the door and walked out. They said he seemed perplexed. On-site inspection revealed that the assailants took the watchmen by surprise and attacked them with a sharp tool,” said the lieutenant.

A police captain testified that the trio had sold around 1,744 gallons of stolen diesel for Dh14,000 in Al Aweer.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 25 days.