Thre murderers denied early release after 15 years in Dubai jail

Indians, who killed a countryman who was threatening to disrupt their bootlegging business, were hoping a good conduct certificate would aid their bid but a Dubai court ruled otherwise.

DUBAI // Three Indians were denied early release from prison on Monday after serving 15 years for the premeditated murder of a compatriot.

The three, aged 50, 42 and 38, were convicted of murdering the man, whose age was not given, at dawn on December 27, 2001 in Naif after the victim threatened to report them to police for bootlegging and demanded they pay him money to keep him quiet. They were also convicted of hiding the man’s body then dumping it and with consuming and possessing alcohol as well as overstaying their visas.

They were each sentenced to life in jail, which as standard is 25 years in the UAE, followed by deportation. The hope was that a letter of good conduct from the jail would help their case but Dubai Criminal Court rejected their request.

On the night of the murder, the three men sneaked into the victim’s room and dragged him from bed. One of them tied up his legs while the other two hit him on the head with solid objects then the third joined them by wrapping a plastic rope around the man’s neck and strangled him to death.

They were caught after the body was found in a cardboard television box that matched the TV in the flat of one of the defendants, who was the victim’s friend.