Death sentence for Indian who strangled compatriot with rope

The Indian man denied a charge of premeditated murder during an earlier court hearing in September.

DUBAI // An Indian man who strangled a compatriot with a rope has been sentenced to death by the Dubai Criminal Court.

During an earlier court hearing in September last year N S, 28, denied a charge of premeditated murder.

“When I entered the room, I saw his dead body and I panicked so I hid his body in a box and threw it away,” he said.

Records stated that the killer had loaned the victim Dh8,500 to be paid back in three instalments.

On May 22 last year the two men met at N S’s apartment in Fareej Nassir close to the Rihab Hotel in Deira to discuss the debt.

“The defendant asked that the money should be repaid in one sum but the victim said he couldn’t,” testified an Emirati police officer, who documented the murder confession made by N S after his arrest.

A witness, K A, 46, said the argument escalated and the two started to fight. N S pushed his victim to the floor and then picked up a rope and strangled him.

A T, 47, an Indian security guard at the building, said he saw a carton box near the rubbish bins but did not give it much attention.

“When I saw the carton was still there the next morning, I was curious so I opened it up and found a dead body. I then called police,” said A T.

Officers found a number of finger prints on the carton that identified the dead man as well as N S, who was arrested along with three others.

Prosecutors said footage taken from the hotel’s surveillance camera showed N S carrying the box along with three other men.

Police major M M, testified that the three had been arrested and told officers they had been stopped by an Indian man who asked them to help carry a heavy box which he claimed contained utensils and glass items.

“One of them said he was offered Dh50 to help carry the box while another said he was given Dh25,” said the major. They were released after being questioned.

N S was arrested in a sting operation in the Naif area on May 23, two days before he was due to fly back to India.

The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days.