Two accused of stabbing man in Al Quoz area

Dubai Criminal Court hears victim was stabbed when he refused to pay protection money

Two suspected gang members have been accused of attempted murder after attacking two men in Al Quoz area in January. AFP

Two men have been accused of stabbing another man after he refused to pay them protection money.

Dubai Criminal Court was told the men from Pakistan demanded that their victim pay them Dh5,000 ($1,360) in exchange for being allowed to live in the area.

The incident occurred on January 16 this year.

The accused were charged with attempted murder. They denied the charges in court.

"Two days before the attack, they ordered me to pay Dh5,000 because I was allowed to live in an area dominated by the gang that they are members of," the victim, 21, told police.

“They said it's the tax I must pay for living in Al Quoz.”

The victim, also from Pakistan, said he was standing outside a supermarket in the area when then men approached him and asked why he had not paid the money.

They were reportedly accompanied by a number of other men and they splashed hot tea on the victim before beating him up.

"I was shoved and dragged by my trousers, and when I fell, they stabbed me in the neck, chest and other parts of my body," the victim said.

A man leaving a nearby building witnessed the assault and rushed to help, but he was stabbed as well, judges were told.

“The way I saw it, they were intending to end his life and I rushed to help, but they attacked me as well,” said the worker, 43, also from Pakistan.

The next hearing is scheduled for September 7.