Prostitute jumped to her death, say police

A woman suspected of being a prostitute died when she threw herself off the roof of a five-storey building in Dubai while being pursued by police.

DUBAI // A woman suspected of being a prostitute died when she threw herself off the roof of a five-storey building while being pursued by police, a public prosecution source said yesterday. Police were raiding a suspected brothel in the Naif area of Dubai last month after they had received a tip-off from a disgruntled customer. The source said that the Sudanese man, 23, reported the brothel to police after arguing with a prostitute over payment.

Two Ethiopian women were arrested while a third, in an attempt to evade capture, ran on to the roof of the building. "When officers chased her, she jumped off the building," the source said. The fall was fatal. The source said that the Sudanese man "called the police operations room stating there was a brothel inside an apartment". Three women tried to escape and while two were arrested the third, said police, committed suicide.

Further investigations revealed the man had solicited sex from one of the women in custody. After taking him back to her apartment to have sex, the two argued. "The woman said she and the man argued over the price and he paid only Dh200," the source said. The Sudanese man and the two Ethiopian women will be referred to court within the next six weeks. [e-mail]