Man 'murdered for visa fraud proceeds'

A court has heard two men murdered a colleague because they were jealous of a visa fraud operation the dead man had been operating.

DUBAI // Two men who grew jealous of a colleague who ran a visa fraud operation got him drunk before murdering him to get some of the scheme's proceeds, a court heard yesterday. The limousine driver, A A, 37, and the office manager H M, 27, allegedly led Masoud al Rahman to an apartment in Dubai's al Hamriya district last August 20. They then got the Pakistani national intoxicated, stabbed him, wrapped him in a sack and placed him in the boot of his Lexus limousine before setting fire to it six days later in the Sharjah Industrial Area. Police were alerted to the crime after Civil Defence workers put out the car fire. Mr al Rahman's body, which was completely charred, was identified through DNA tests. Police investigations revealed that A A and H M were closely associated with the victim and that all three men operated a fake-visa scam in Dubai. Prosecutors alleged that the defendants grew jealous of Mr al Rahman after his earnings increased and he taunted them with his new-found wealth. The defendants face the death penalty if found guilty. A A met with H M at 9.30pm on the night in question and proceeded to visit two supermarkets in Deira to purchase the alleged murder weapon and sack, records showed. They then met the victim at H M's apartment at 1am. When Mr al Rahman arrived, he said that he had Dh25,000 (US$6,800) in his possession. When he passed out after consuming alcohol, H M and A A stabbed him five times, according to the prosecution. The defendants claimed that they did not find the Dh25,000 and only stole the Dh500 which was in the victim's wallet. An investigating officer told prosecutors that a stab wound was found on A A's hand. The officer said A A claimed that it was a wound obtained while he attempted to stop H M from stabbing the victim. The officer said that A A claimed that he was overcome with guilt. The defendants, who police said confessed to the crime, denied the charges before presiding judge Fahmy Mounir Fahmy in the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance. The court adjourned the hearing to June 9.