A firebug bootlegger who torched a truck storing alcohol as part of a turf war with a rival has been handed a three-month prison sentence.
The Indian man, 26, set the abandoned fuel truck ablaze in Dubai's International City last December after a dispute with his fellow rogue trader, with the fire spreading to three other vehicles parked nearby.
Dubai Criminal Court heard the friction between the two men had been caused by both wanting to sell alcohol in the same area of the emirate.
When he was told to leave the area, the disgruntled defendant put a pile of paper under the vehicle, which he then set alight.
Firefighters were called into action to bring the blaze under control.
One driver told of how he arrived to find his Dh30,000 vehicle had been destroyed by the fire.
“I received a call (from police) at around 5am. It was a shock. I parked my car then went back only to find ashes,' said the man in a witness statement.
Police launched an investigation and soon identified the man responsible.
Following his arrest, the defendant admitted the offence.
“He said that he was angry because the other man ordered him not to come sell alcohol in this area,” said a policeman involved in the case.
The man will be deported once he has served his prison sentence for the arson.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of Dh65,000.
