Man strangles prostitute to death for Dh150 theft

dubai — A man has been charged in court for allegedly strangling to death a prostitute right after having sex with her.

The 32-year-old Pakistani, an ironsmith, denied a murder charge at the Court of First Instance. He claimed he had no intention of killing the African woman, but admitted to having illicit consensual sex with her. During investigation, he claimed he was provoked after the victim stole Dh150 from his wallet.

According to Dubai public prosecution records, the defendant had a quarrel with the victim after she took Dh150 from his wallet. He grabbed her by the neck and strangled her until she fell motionless.

The incident took place on March 23 in Al Muraqqabat. A police lieutenant said they had to break open the victim’s door after complaints about a foul odour emanating from her flat in Al Baraha. “The Dubai police operations room received a complaint from the building’s watchman. The neighbours had been complaining about the bad smell... So he called the police after no one opened the door.”

The officer added: “We found the body lying on its side and in a decomposed state. The key and her mobile phones were missing so we suspected foul play.”

One of the victim’s phones was found at a shop and CID officers came to know the accused had sold it to them.

The police tracked the defendant down to his place in Al Ain after checking the last phone calls she had received prior to her murder. He confessed to the killing.

The man told the investigators he had come to Meydan Bani Yas looking for a prostitute and then contacted the victim with whom he had had sex before. He agreed with her to have sex twice, for Dh150. However, later after he came out of the toilet, he found that he was missing another Dh150. She would not give the money back and asked him to leave the flat or she would call the police. He followed her to the bathroom where he stood behind her and strangled her.

The accused then stole Dh450 and two mobile phones, locked the flat with its key which he kept and slept the night over in a park. Later, he took a bus back to Al Ain.

According to the forensic report, the woman’s death was caused due to intense pressure on the neck.