DUBAI // A construction worker who strangled his roommate because he refused to use magic to help his sick wife will spend 15 years behind bars.
The 22-year-old Indian was found guilty of the premeditated murder of his compatriot and theft of Dh2,000.
“We had a dispute so we started fighting,” he told Dubai Criminal Court last June.
On the morning of January 17 last year, a security guard at a labour accommodation in Al Muhaisnah 2 found the victim face down on his bed with his arms tied behind his back.
Police were called and the defendant was arrested a few hours later.
“He told us that his wife in India was bewitched and that his roommate claimed he was able to heal her through magic but he did not fulfil his promise. The wife burnt herself and is in a critical condition,” said a police captain.
The officer said that the husband had paid his roommate Dh350 to help his wife but he kept stalling when asked about the treatment.
“On the morning of the incident, he told us he was bullied by the victim which provoked him so he pushed his roommate, wrapped a scarf around his neck and placed his legs on his back and pressed hard on the man’s neck until he died,” said the officer.
The defendant will be deported after serving his term.
salamir@thenational.ae
