Indian man charged in UAE for beating compatriot to death: Report

A UAE-based Indian expat has been charged with beating a compatriot to death after a heated argument over illegal rented accommodation, according to a media report.

The Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday heard the case and charged the 31-year-old accused for assaulting and leaving his compatriot in unconscious condition following an argument after he went to collect rent from the victim, the Gulf News reported on Sunday.

According to records, the incident happened in August when the victim’s mother was worried as her repeated calls to her son went unanswered.

She then called his friend, who went to his rented apartment to check after breaking open the door with the security guard and found him lying dead on the bed.

Dubai Police were alerted and investigations revealed that the victim had died three days before the body was discovered, the report, which does not identify both the victim and defendant, said.

A senior police official said that after speaking to people around the victim’s apartment they arrested an Indian man, who was tasked by the owner of the building to collect rent from the tenants.

“Our investigation revealed that he had a problem with the suspect who used to collect the rents from tenants. The suspect was arrested and he admitted to physically assaulting the victim,” said the police official.

The accused during investigation admitted that on the day of the incident, inspectors were searching residential units to catch violators who had rented out their apartments illegally.

He then locked the victim’s room from outside to deceive the inspectors that the room was empty.

Once the inspectors left, he opened the door to find the victim was furious.

“The victim was angry because the defendant had locked the door. The defendant claimed that the victim was under the influence of alcohol and insulted him. The defendant got angry before kicking and punching the victim several times until he fell unconscious,” added the police official.

Medical reports revealed that the victim had died as a result of the assault, which caused internal bleeding in his brain.

Following the hearing, the Dubai Public Prosecution has charged the defendant with assault leading to death.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 21.