Youth sets parent’s villa on fire, stabs self

dubai — More details have emerged in a case in Dubai where a 21-yearold Sudanese student is believed to have set his house on fire and stabbed himself thrice. His 57-yearold father and 37-year-old stepmother were in the villa in Al Warqaa when it was set on fire. All three sustained severe burns and are recuperating at the Rashid Hospital.

Prima facie, the police believe the son got into a dispute with his father after the latter’s remarriage in January. Initial investigations revealed that after setting the villa on fire on July 5, the son stabbed himself three times in the neck with a

The 21-year-old son lived in the United States with his siblings and had come to live with his father in the UAE a year back.” Police official

knife. The police haven’t been able to get statements from the three family members due to their poor health conditions.

Contrary to what some extended family members had claimed, the police have not found any evidence to believe that the young man committed the crime under the influence of a video game.

After the police were alerted about the fire, rescue team rushed to the spot. Emergency personnel found the parents in the bedroom and the son in the bathroom with a knife next to him. The police also recovered a can of petrol from the crime scene. Initial investigations suggest that the son went to the fuel station an hour prior to the incident and fire was set around 1am as the parents were sleeping.

how father-son relationship turned sour

According to the police, the 21-year-old son lived in the United States with his siblings and had come to live with his father in the UAE a year back. His father divorced his mother and married a 37-year-old in January, after which the relationship between them turned sour. The father had rented a flat for the son in Abu Dhabi. On June 30, the son asked his father if he could stay with them. On the day, the duo went out for a movie and then to the US Embassy to finalise some paperwork. The son was to fly out of the UAE for further studies on the day of the incident.

A friend of the family told Khaleej Times that on the day of the incident, the son had asked their maid to prepare food in the kitchen. An Indian driver told the police he accompanied the son as he got the can of petrol. Investigations are still on.

amira@khaleejtimes.com