Boyfriend arrested after woman's body found in abandoned house

Man strangled ex-girlfriend and buried her body in an abandoned house after she threatened to have someone beat him up for failing to repay Dh3,000 he owed her, police said.

DUBAI // Police have arrested a man who they claim strangled his former girlfriend and then buried her in an abandoned house.

The body of the Bangladeshi woman, who was in her 30s, was found more than four and a half months after she had been killed.

Although the body had become skeletonised, police were able to use a photograph that the victim carried to identify her. They used the photo to track down the suspect, who, they say, had been seen with her shortly before her death.

A Dubai Municipality engineer discovered the body last Thursday while inspecting the abandoned house in Al Mankhool area, shortly before it was to be demolished.

The body had been buried in a shallow surface, with a plywood board placed on top to hide it, investigators said.

"The woman was found with a headscarf wrapped along her neck twice, which clearly indicated that she was strangled," said Lt Colonel Ahmed Al Merri of the CID.

Police said the woman was a runaway maid who had been living in the country for several years while working as a prostitute.

They received a tip-off that she had last been seen with MKN, of Bangladesh, who is also in his 30s.

Investigations revealed that MK N was working in a cloth shop in Naif area, where he was arrested.

"We confronted him with the statements of witnesses who saw him leaving with the victim," Lt Col Al Merri said. The suspect then allegedly confessed.

MKN said he killed the woman after she demanded Dh3,000 he owed her after they had broken up. He told police that she was threatening to send people to beat him up if he did not pay his dues.

He said that he knew about the abandoned house, which was in a remote area, and he went there with her while she was looking for a new place to rent. Once they entered the abandoned house, he attacked her from behind and strangled her, he told police.

He has been referred to the public prosecution and is facing charges of premeditated murder.

"The success of this case, which for many would have been impossible, is the strength of the Dubai Police CID sources," Lt Col Al Merri said.