Three charged with burning the body of friend who died from heroin overdose

The deceased had just been pardoned from a drugs-related jail term

Four men, including a 23-year-old police officer, stand accused of attempting to dispose of the body of their friend after he died from a heroin overdose by burning it. 
Dubai Criminal Court heard that the men, one Emirati, 18, and three men holding Comoros Islands passports, 20, 20 and 23, set fire to a car after placing the dead body of their friend on the passenger's seat. One defendant still remains at large. 
On November 28 last year, the deceased, 19, Emirati, was released from prison after being granted a pardon for a jail sentence he was serving for consuming drugs.
"I picked him up from Dubai police's drug control department and was asked to bring him for his monthly drug tests," said the victim's father, 52.
He said the following day his son asked for a mobile phone and cash before borrowing his mother's car and walking out of the house.
"I told him to be careful and to stay away from bad friends and drugs. He said 'ok' and left," said the father, who then didn't hear from his son for days. On December 14, he received a call from police informing him that his son's body had been found in a burnt out car near a park in Bu Hail.
Prosecutors said the deceased met with the four defendants on November 29 and the men said he had four syringes, which he prepared in the car with heroin and injected one into himself. He then gave his friends the other three syringes to inject themselves.
The man then stopped breathing and collapsed and his friends, fearing having to answer to police, panicked.
"The 18-year-old Emirati defendant then drove their car, placing the victim in the passenger's seat, parked, opened the window and turned on the air conditioning. He and the other defendants then left the car," said a policeman, 43.
When they returned two days later they found the man had died after which they decided to burn the car to hide their tracks.
"On December 14, they purchased fuel from a nearby petrol station and the first three defendants, after being dropped off by the defendant at large, poured the fuel on the car and set it a blaze and left," said the policeman.
Three other cars were partially damaged by the fire.
During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to charges of attempting to hide the dead body by burning it, setting fire to a car, damaging property, and endangering lives by lighting a fire in an inhabited area.
The three men who have been found denied all charges in court.
The next hearing will be on May 20.