Sharjah: The Sharjah Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced an Indian couple to death in Sharjah in connection to the premeditated murder of the husband’s first wife.
The verdict, which was issued in absentia, was handed down by Judge Majid Al Muhairi of Sharjah Criminal Court after the family of the victim refused blood money over the incident, that occurred in April 2018.
The Indian husband in cooperation with his second wife killed his first wife and buried her in their house before escaping to their home country, it was alleged.
The body of the Indian woman was found by police sniffer dogs after her corpse had been buried by the couple in her house in the Maysaloon area of Sharjah. The body was found with several stab wounds.
The incident came to light when the woman’s brother lodged a complaint with police on April 9. He had travelled from India looking for his sister after he phoned her several times and got no response. After he could not find anyone at his sister’s house, he informed police that he suspected something had gone wrong.
At that time Major-General Saif Al Ziri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, confirmed to Gulf News that a missing persons report was received from the woman’s brother, who told police that he used to speak to his sister daily but one day, she stopped answering her phone.
A police team went to the house after getting permission from public prosecutors.
During a search of the house, police found ceramic tiles missing in some parts of the floor. They suspected foul play and brought in K9 dogs, which led them to the grave inside the house. The team dug up the decomposed body and shifted it to the forensic laboratory for an autopsy, after which the victim’s brother identified the body.
The accused has two wives and before committing the crime, he sent one of them and his children with her to India. The suspect was identified through his fingerprints and iris scan.
Police have already contacted Interpol and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Residents shocked
Gulf News visited the crime scene and found the house sealed by the police. Some toys including a pink doll, a pink bicycle and a black bike could be seen scattered in the house.
Residents in the area, meanwhile, were shocked at the horrendous crime in their neighbourhood.
Owners of a nearby grocery and a bakery (both from India) told Gulf News that the suspect was in his 40s and did not have any contact with anyone in the area. “He did not buy any food or groceries from us,” the grocery owner said.
“Around 10 days ago, we noticed a number of police patrols and CID men in addition to an ambulance near the house,” they said.
