Dubai: A Saudi citizen has been arrested in Asir for allegedly shooting dead his wife in front of their children on the first day of Eid Al Fitr, local media reported.
According to Sabaq newspaper, a heated argument over some family issues erupted between the couple that ended up with the husband taking out his handgun and shooting his wife in the presence of their children.
The crime is reported to have taken place in the family house. Soon after committing the crime, the husband fled but surrendered later.
Asir police launched an investigation into the crime and a case has been referred to the public prosecution for further legal actions.
In Saudi Islamic law, charges of violent crimes like murder are usually brought under the system of “qisas”: retaliation on the principle of an eye for an eye.
While a murderer would normally be sentenced to death, the victim’s family is permitted to accept “diyya”, or blood money, instead of execution.
