Labourer ‘threatened to kill man who refused daughter’s hand in marriage’

DUBAI // An Indian labourer repeatedly telephoned a father to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage – then threatened to kill him when he refused, a court was told on Sunday.

Dubai Criminal Court heard the father, K J, 47, also Indian, received a call from an unknown number on July 6. It was from K A, 28, who asked to meet him.

“I told him I would be in church with my family so he hung up and called me again later that night and asked for my 19-year-old daughter’s hand in marriage, saying he loved her,” the father said.

The father told K A to forget the matter and not to call again.

The worker, however, he said, called him at least three times a day for six successive days and even waited in his apartment building car park from 6am until he left his home at 9am.

“When I spoke to him and asked him why he was there, he told me he needed money, so I asked the security guard to send him away and then I left,” said K J.

KJ said the defendant kept calling him, followed him to work, church and home before threatening him.

“He told me he would kill me, my daughter and my entire family if I didn’t allow him to marry her,” said K J.

He said that the next time he saw K A in the car park, he asked a security guard to detain him while he called the police.

In court, K A confessed to charges of abusing telecommunications to issue death threats and was sentenced to three months in jail for harassment and threatening behaviour.