They had set up a plan back home to kill the victim.

Three Pakistani men have each been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the premeditated murder of a compatriot.

The Court of First Instance earlier heard the three men - aged 47, 31 and 33 - had come to Dubai on visit visas with the aim to kill the victim in a vengeful act. They rented a car to stalk the victim near his residence. After purchasing a knife and a hammer from a shop in Sharjah, they waited for him in the parking lot outside his place.

They stabbed him to death with the knife and also struck him with the hummer. During the stabbing frenzy, the first accused was mistakenly stabbed in the arm.

The three men were convicted of premeditated murder and attempted murder charges. A fourth Pakistani (a 35-year-old businessman), charged with aiding and abetting them in the premeditated murder, has received a 10-year imprisonment term. He gave them details about the victim's residence and his car and its plate number.

The court ordered that all four men be deported after completing their jail sentences. The victim was killed on December 7, 2017, in Al Nahda area.

The incident was reported by an Indian engineer, who happened to pass near the parking lot where it took place in Al Nahda. "It was around 3.15am when I had just dropped my uncle in Al Nahda and I was driving to Hor Al Anz. Near a roundabout, I spotted two men (the first two accused) running while one of them was wearing a glove and bleeding profusely. I reduced speed and looked around, then I saw a man lying on his abdomen in a pool of blood in the parking lot.

"I pulled over and called the police and gave the men's descriptions to them," said the 25-year-old witness.

A police lieutenant said he received the murder report around 3.50am. "We learned one of the culprits had a hand injury. We kept a close watch on the travelers leaving the Dubai International Airport. Two suspects matched the descriptions given by the witness and one of them had a right arm injury. He was bleeding when we arrested him."

The injured man was taken to the hospital. At the police station, the other accused admitted they had come to Dubai on December 5, 2017. They stayed at a hotel in Al Muraqqabat. They had set up a plan back home to kill the victim. They were to be paid Dh5,000 in Dubai after executing the crime and Dh10,000 when they returned to Pakistan from the third accomplice. They claimed that the victim had killed the latter's brother in Pakistan back in 2005. They confessed they had been stalking the victim's movements.

The defendants may appeal the ruling within 15 days from the issuance date.

mary@khaleejtimes.com