DUBAI // A man who spent all his savings on bulldozer driving tests that he repeatedly failed tried to burn himself to death, a Dubai court has heard.
The Pakistani labourer, 25, admitted to a charge of attempted suicide and awaits a verdict this month in the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours.
On May 7, he went with a countryman to Galadari Motor Driving Centre in Al Qusais to take a bulldozer driving test.
“He became extremely angry and frustrated after he was denied a driving licence, then we went outside and I heard him repeating that he better die but I didn’t expect that he was serious,” said the labourer’s friend, 23.
“He then walked away and returned a few minutes later carrying a bucket of diesel.”
The man doused himself in fuel and, as he reached inside his pocket for a lighter, his friend and another man jumped on him and stopped him burning himself.
“We convinced him that we could go back inside and try again,” said the friend, adding that employees at the driving centre smelt the fuel on him and called police.
“During questioning he told me he had been trying to get a licence for more than a year and that he spent all his savings on that,” a policeman stationed at Al Qusais said.
“He was left with no money and no licence so he decided to kill himself.”
salamir@thenational.ae
