A Pakistani mason was sentenced to death in absentia by a UAE court for setting 2 co-workers on fire which killed 1 of them.
According to the records, on February 9, while AA and SA were busy in the store of a building under construction in Jebel Ali, the accused DA, 32, who is at large, poured petrol on them and set them on fire with a lighter.
The worker who survived the fire, SA, 35, Pakistani machine operator, testified that he had accompanied victim AA to the store.
"I was in the store with AA and DA. We were all chatting and laughing about funny incidents at work. We were enjoying our time together and nothing happened that could have triggered DA's anger. We sat chatting for about an hour after which DA left the store.
"15 minutes later, while I was helping AA, the store keeper, in reviewing the store's records, I noticed DA entering, holding a middle-size yellow bucket. I did not expect anything bad and I turned back to continue helping AA.
"All of a sudden, I felt the blanket that I had wrapped around myself on that cold day become wet. I also noticed that the same thing happened to AA's blanket. I also smelt petrol. DA pouring the liquid all around the store," testified the survivor.
The survivor saw the accused switching on the lighter that he was holding in his hand and bringing it close to AA's blanket.
"Very quickly, AA as well as the entire store caught fire. I found myself surrounded by flames while AA was screaming. I could not help him as, in a few seconds, he had turned into a mass of fire. I rushed to the door, kicked it and got out and threw away my blanket that had caught fire," testified SA.
While the accused was setting the place on fire, the survivor heard him saying: "You will all die inside."
The convict was prosecuted in absentia for premeditated murder and attempt to murder in addition to setting fire to his employer's store.
Source: emirates 247.com, October 21, 2015
