By Eman Al Baik

A mason allegedly suffocated his roommate because he failed to treat his sick wife with magic and swindling Dh350, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

JS, 22 told his roommate DK, about his sick wife who burnt herself and was admitted in the hospital back home.

"He told me that my wife is under a magic spell and said that he can treat her through magic for Dh350. I paid him and in return he gave me some ash and asked me to drink it in a glass of water. However, I got suspicious when my wife did not heal.

On January 19, at around 4.30am the third roommate left to work. After about an hour DK got up and started shouting at JS asking him to go to work.

“I told him it is not his business, but he continued shouting at me and teasing me. I got up and pushed DK to his bed. I wrapped his headscarf around his neck and pulled him to the floor. I then tied back his two hands, pulled him up to the bed and pulled the two sides of the scarf until he died.



I searched his cabinet and stole Dh200,” the accused told investigators.

The accused then rushed out of the room and locked it from outside.

He left for Bur Dubai and on his way, he threw the room’s key.

At around 7.30, the labour accommodation guard KK, 44, Indian, during his ritual checks opened the room No. 21, at Al Muhaisna 2 area and found the victim with his face down on the bed with hands tied in the back.

The guard called the police and informed about the crime.

The accused was arrested near the accommodation on the following day morning.

He admitted to his crime. The accused told the police that he stole the Dh200 in compensation for the Dh350 he had paid the victim for treatment which proved to be false.

The third roommate MS, 23, Indian worker, made corroborative testimony and told the police that the accused has asked the victim several times to return the Dh350 he paid him for his wife’s treatment as it proved to be false and the wife was not healed.

“Following that, the accused became very annoyed and upset of the victim who also used to tease him. I do not know if he had killed him because on that day I left work while the two were sleeping,” testified MS.

Forensic reported revealed that the cause of death was suffocation and that blood stains found on the scarf and clothes belonged to both the accused and the victim.

In court, the accused denied the charge of pre-meditated killing, and said that he and the victim started fighting because of a dispute and that he did not intend to kill him. He also told the court that he had stolen Dh2,000 and not Dh200.

The court will reconvene on July 24.

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