Man sets fire to Dubai shop over unpaid salary
Defendant fined Dh985,000 and sentenced to two years in prison
Dubai: A salesman in Dubai has been sentenced to two years in jail for setting a textile shop on fire, causing losses of nearly Dh1 million to the owner.
The Dubai Court of First Instance also slapped a Dh985,000 fine on the 27-year-old salesman from Afghanistan. He will be deported after he has served his sentence.
Records showed that he sought revenge from the owner, who did not pay his salary for a year. In December last year, the defendant went to the shop located in Naif area after midnight and used a cutter to open the shop’s lock. He alleged the owner didn’t pay his salary for one year. He hoped to find some cash inside the shop, but couldn’t find any.
The defendant told Dubai Police that he saw a lighter inside the shop and decided to set the textile shop ablaze in revenge.
The shop’s owner testified that he checked the surveillance cameras in the area and saw the defendant breaking into the shop. “I was alerted about the fire and discovered that the defendant was responsible. He damaged the lock and the glass door before setting the shop on fire,” the 40-year-old Pakistani owner said.
Dubai Public Prosecution charged the defendant with setting fire to a property and causing damages worth Dh985,000. The verdict will be subject to appeal within 15 days.