Dubai: A visitor has been accused of attempting to kill his relative by strangling him with a rope.

The 26-year-old Pakistani visitor, W.S., was said to have gone shopping with his countryman relative, a 58-year-old businessman, at Dubai Mall and when they went back to the car, he jumped into the back seat and tried to kill the businessman with a rope in May.

W.S. claimed to his relative that it was hot in the car and he wanted to move, according to records, when he jumped into the back seat and surprisingly dropped the rope around the businessman’s neck in an attempt to kill him.

The 58-year-old was lucky as his hand happened to be between the rope and his neck when W.S. attempted to strangle him, said records.

When he failed to strangle the businessman, W.S. dragged the victim out of the car, pushed him to the ground and repeatedly punched him and continued trying to strangle him.

Records said some Emirati women who were walking out of the mall spotted the two and called the police.

Prosecutors accused W.S. of attempting to murder his countryman.

The suspect pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.

Prosecutors said the defendant took advantage of the fact that he was alone with the businessman when he put the rope around his neck and tried to kill him. He also punched him repeatedly.

The businessman claimed to prosecutors that W.S. visited him at his office early that day and then they went to the mall.

“He asked me to take him to the mall, where we stayed until 4.30pm. Then we went back to the car and he claimed that the temperature was high and said he would be moving to the back. I spotted him in the rear mirror going around the car and taking the back seat. Suddenly he placed the rope around my neck … luckily, I had my hand between my neck and the rope. I resisted and tried save myself when he attempted to strangle me. Then he came out and dragged me out and hit me on my face. I cried for help … a group of women who happened to be coming out from the mall saw him. They cried for help and security while the suspect ran away,” he testified to prosecutors.

A police woman lieutenant told the prosecutors that she happened to be at the mall when she heard a number of women crying for help and for the mall’s security.

“I rushed towards the businessman’s car and spotted a rope around his neck. Initially I thought that he might have been trying to kill himself and that the suspect was trying to save him. Then when I spotted him punching the man, I shouted at W.S. … I took out my police ID and introduced myself. The suspect grabbed his bag and ran away. I chased him into the mall and asked the security guards to restrain him. Then I went back to the businessman to check on him. He had removed the rope and had bruises on his face,” she testified.

Records said the security guards restrained the suspect and handed him over to the police.

W.S. was cited as admitting to prosecutors that someone from Pakistan had asked him to kill the victim without specifying who.

The trial continues.