DUBAI // A man was thrown off a third-floor balcony as revenge for reporting a human trafficker, a court heard on Tuesday.
K K, 30, who holds a Comoros Islands passport, was lured to an apartment in Al Rafaa, pepper-sprayed and beaten with a wooden bar before being thrown off the balcony.
The fall left him paralysed, the Criminal Court was told.
He claims the attack was carried out by Bangladeshi M A, 41, the friend of someone the victim had reported to police for human trafficking.
The Bangladeshi contacted the victim and asked to meet him at the apartment.
“I thought that he had a problem with someone from my nationality as I often receive such requests and help the callers solve their problems, so I went to see him,” said the victim.
He said when he arrived and went inside the apartment, three Bangladeshis assaulted him.
“I managed to cut loose but when I tried to leave the flat I found the door was locked,” the victim said.
He said four more men, including the accused, came out of the bathroom and pepper-sprayed him before beating him with a wooden bar.
“I fainted. When I woke up at hospital I was told I had been thrown from the flat’s balcony and that I was paralysed as a result,” he said.
Police investigations led them to the accused in Hor Al Anz. His landlord S S, from India, said he “often brought women to the apartment to work in prostitution and I always told him to stop but he didn’t”.
The defendant did not appear at the Criminal Court to face a charge of attempted murder. A verdict is expected on October 29.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
