Fugitive turns up in court after 14 years, denies charge

dubai — A Pakistani man who was charged with premeditated murder back in 2003 appeared in a Dubai court on Tuesday and denied the charges levelled against him. The man was one of three Asians who were accused of killing a shopkeeper after robbing him, using a plastic stick and knife.

All three defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004. The Asian, who was sentenced in absentia, turned up at the Dubai Court of First Instance. He will be retried after a courtappointed lawyer is assigned.

According to prosecution records, the other two convicts — an Indian tailor and a Pakistani merchant — said the fugitive was going through a financial crisis when he met them and planned to rob the victim.

When the victim was alone at the shop, the defendant and the Indian entered and attacked him with a stick that knocked him out. They then robbed him. The merchant told officers he was outside to keep an eye on the area surrounding the shop located in the Naif area.

The Pakistani defendant then attacked the victim with a knife after he regained consciousness. The two then left the shop with Dh300, two mobile phones and an ATM card from which they withdrew Dh5,500. Forensic reports showed that the victim died of a deep stab wounds in the neck and chest.

A police lieutenant had told prosecutors that the Pakistani merchant was caught in 2003 after the CCTV footages of the ATM machine showed him withdrawing cash from the victim’s account. The merchant admitted to being involved in the robbery. The Indian tailor was arrested at the airport after he reentered the country three months after the incident.

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com