DUBAI // A Bangladeshi worker on Wednesday denied trying to bury his countryman alive after throwing him in a ditch then stuffing sand down his throat over a Dh3,000 debt.
Dubai Criminal Court heard that on September 2 last year M S, 33, told A M, a carpenter, that he had money buried in sand near Al Qusais graveyard to lure him into meeting there.
Prosecutors said that the two men then dug a hole in the ground before M S took the carpenter by surprise and threw him into the ditch, attacking him and stuffing sand into his mouth.
The pair fought and then some passers-by frightened the attacker, who let go of his victim and ran away, the court heard.
M S was charged with attempted murder, which he denied in court.
The defendant said: “He called me and asked me to come see him so he can return Dh3,000 I gave him in return for him helping me get a work visa for my brother but, when I arrived to see him, he told me that he won’t get my brother a visa and will not return my money.
“Then he and two other men who were with him assaulted me so I just punched him in the face near his eye but did not try to kill him.”
The carpenter said in his testimony that he and the defendant worked for the same company and were out for a walk at about 10pm when M S told him he needed to relieve himself, so they walked towards a deserted spot.
“When we were in an unseen area, I was on the phone and M S suddenly attacked me and tried to strangle me with a piece of cloth then stuffed sand into my mouth,” said A M, who added that men walking nearby scared M S off.
The carpenter said that M S’s attempt to kill him was over an amount of money that he had borrowed.
The men who were passing by rushed to A M’s aid and called police. He was taken to Al Baraha Hospital, while the defendant was arrested few hours later.
Policeman H A, 47, testified that the two men had managed to dig a hole the size of a grave, which M S wanted to bury A M in.
“The victim was thrown into the hole and MS started covering him with sand and stuffing his mouth with sand as well but the victim managed to resist and grab his attacker by the neck before a number of passers-by saved him after they found him almost buried, except for his head and arms,” said the policeman.
The officer added that there were signs of a struggle on the neck and body of the defendant, which he denied were the result of the fight between him and A M, saying instead that he fell. “The victim had clear marks of strangulation on his neck left by the piece of cloth and his eyes had popped out and sand was still in his mouth and ears,” said the officer.
The next hearing will be on April 15.
salamir@thenational.ae
