Ras Al Khaimah: A man suspected of the murder of his wife on Sunday in Ras Al Khaimah surrendered before police within hours of the crime in Abu Dhabi, a senior police official said.
Brigadier Abdullah Khamis Al Hadidi, Director General of Police operations at Ras Al Khaimah Police’s General Directorate, said that the Iraqi suspect, identified as A.J.A, 47, is believed to have waited until his children had left the house to carry out what he described as the “hideous crime”.
A police source said that the woman’s body was found chopped into pieces. The woman’s son, H.A.J, 21, made the grisly discovery after he found that the door was locked when he returned home. He broke the lock on the door and found his mother’s dismembered body. The son left the house in a state of shock but later called the police who dispatched teams from the Ras Al Khaimah Police forensic evidence section, public prosecution and other relevant authorities. A.J.A. and the deceased, S.A.H, 38, also have two daughters aged 16 and 13.
The police investigation team said that the crime scene indicated that a fight had taken place in the room. The cause of S.A.H’s death was put down to the multiple stab wounds on her body, which also showed severe bruising and deep gashes on the wrists. The knife used to inflict the injuries was found in the room, its blade broken. A cleaver was also found at the scene.
Brigadier Al Hadidi said that two police teams were immediately set up and tasked with identifying the suspect and any relatives or friends who could reveal the whereabouts of the suspect.
A person who contacted the police told them that he had received a call from A.J.A. confessing to his wife’s murder. A.J.A. had contacted the other person asking him to take care of his three children.
After gathering the required information and tracing the suspect’s calls, police ascertained his identity and determined he was trying to flee to Abu Dhabi. Police patrols were immediately dispatched to Abu Dhabi and the suspect’s picture and information circulated to other police departments in the UAE.
“The man turned himself in at a police station in Abu Dhabi. He was arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution. The man confessed to his crime during the preliminary investigations carried out by the Public Prosecution,” Brigadier Al Hadidi said.
“The man said that he murdered his wife due to reccurring problems and disagreements between them over the course of seven years. The crime scene is still being investigated by the forensic evidence teams and the final report will be submitted to the public prosecution,” he added.
Ras Al Khaimah police dispatched officers to get the couple’s two daughters from their schools. The children are currently in a secure location under the personal supervision of Major General Shaikh Taleb Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ras Al Khaimah Police.
A counsellor was also called in to provide necessary support to the children as they cope with their loss. Shaikh Taleb also ordered the police to get in touch with close relatives of the children.
Al Hadidi said that the police strongly reject and denounce the use of violent means to solve family problems. He also called for users of social networking sites to “refrain from spreading rumours and gossip related to the privacy and honour of families”.
