DUBAI // Two Indian men are accused of killing a man in an airport car park over fears he would report them for embezzling. According to the prosecutor's report read in Dubai's Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday, the killing occurred on November 16 in the Terminal 2 parking area at Dubai International Airport. The victim, Younis Akbar Younis, whose age is not known, worked at Emirates Airline's parts and maintenance depot at the airport with one of the accused, identified as SB, 33. Mr Younis, who also was an Indian national, is reported to have had evidence that SB had embezzled an unknown amount of money from Emirates Airline and had threatened to have him arrested if the funds were not returned.
Fearing arrest, SB is accused of contacting the second accused, identified as TA, 23, two months before the killing and telling him of his plan. TA initially refused to help carry out the killing, but, after being pressured by SB, eventually agreed, the prosecution said. Both defendants are alleged to have monitored the victim for several weeks to determine the best place and time to kill him. SB is accused of leaving his home in the Naif District of Dubai on November 16 carrying with him in his Toyota Yaris a butcher's knife, a smaller knife, a white cloth and a plastic bag to the airport, where he met TA.
Both men parked near the victim's car and lay in wait for him, prosecutors say. According to the prosecutor's report, when Mr Younis sat in the driver's seat of his car after finishing work at 3pm, the two defendants rushed into the car and attacked him. TA is alleged to have sat in the front passenger seat and restrained Mr Younis's hands while SB, sitting in the rear seat, used the butcher's knife to inflict a fatal wound to Mr Younis's neck.
Once Mr Younis had died, SB covered his head with a plastic bag and laid the driver's seat back to keep the body out of sight. The defendants then took Mr Younis' wallet and mobile telephone, the prosecution said. Approximately three and a half hours after Mr Younis was killed, Airport Police found the bloody scene while on routine patrol. As part of its investigation, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Dubai Police took fingerprints from the vehicle and examined Mr Younis's mobile telephone records and found that the last person to have called him was SB. Fingerprint evidence from the car indicated that SB was present at the time of the killing. He was arrested two days later in the Naif District.
The prosecution said that while being interrogated, SB revealed the identity of TA, who worked at a cement factory. TA was subsequently arrested. In his defence, SB said that he had a meeting planned with Mr Younis on the day of the killing to discuss returning money he had borrowed from Mr Younis. SB said that when he told Mr Younis that he did not have the money, Mr Younis cursed him and threatened to tell "everyone" that SB slept with prostitutes. According to SB's statement to CID, Mr Younis threatened to rape SB's wife if he was not paid, which angered SB to the point of murder. SB denied that the killing was premeditated.
When TA was arrested, he told police he had initially refused to help SB kill Mr Younis but agreed after SB reminded him that he would not have a job in Dubai without SB's help. According to TA, SB planned the killing weeks beforehand and had tried once before to ambush Mr Younis but decided against killing him that day as the Terminal 2 car park was crowded. The case has been adjourned until August 31.
ealghalib@thenational.ae
