Naif Souq mugger appears in court

DUBAI // An attempt to chase down a mugger in Naif Souq ended in the death of the man who had been mugged, a court heard yesterday.

The victim, Bangladeshi Noorul Haq Rana, was assaulted by a 41-year-old Pakistani assailant, A A, on the evening of November 11 last year.

A witness told prosecutors he saw A A approach Rana and say he was a CID officer then pull him by his belt toward the side of a building.

"The Pakistani man was asking him for his ID and he dragged him to an alleyway," they 31-year-old cleaner MS told prosecutors.

"I followed them to plead to him to release my friend but when I arrived in the alley I saw the defendant take Noorul Haq's money and run away," he said.

The witness and the victim starting giving chase to AA, records show, but he ran into a big group of friends.

"We got scared and decided to back off, but then AA grabbed Noorul and started beating him," he said.

During the assault, Rana was knocked to the ground and hit his head on the edge of a loose manhole cover. He later died of his injuries, records show.

A police investigator testified that AA left the country the next day, but was arrested upon returning to the country.

AA was charged in the Dubai Crimial Court of First Instance yesterday with assault leading to death, theft and impersonation of a public official. He denies attacking the man.

The court will issue its verdict on March 15.

amustafa@thenational.ae