Mason sets fire to colleagues, flees

A Pakistani mason allegedly premeditatedly set two co-workers on fire which killed one of them, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.
 
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 accompanied the 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 would have triggered DA’s anger. We sat chatting for about an hour after which DA left the store.
 
“Fifteen 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, he caught fire as well as the entire store. I found myself surrounded by flames while AA was screaming... I could not help him as in seconds he had turned into a mass of fire. I rushed to the door, kicked it and got out and threw away the blanket that I had wrapped around myself and which had caught fire.
 
While the accused was setting the place on fire, the survivor heard him saying: “You all die inside.”
 
MA, worker, rushed to the store holding a fire extinguisher and started spraying the foam on the victim. The victim, who had become a mass of fire, rushed out of the store. The fire was extinguished and he rushed to hospital.
 
“I don’t know why he did that as there were no problems between the accused and anyone in the company. The victim’s behaviour was also good,” he noted.
 
MA, 35 Pakistani guard, testified that he rushed with the fire extinguisher as he saw a ball of fire rushing out of the store 10 metres away from him. The burning man was screaming and asking for help.
 
The victim fell unconscious after telling the guard that there is another man inside and he must help him. He meant the machine operator who survived.
 
The victim also told the guard that he does not know why DA did it. “DA poured petrol on me and burnt me. I had no problem with him... I have two daughters and there is another man inside who should be rescued,” he told the guard before falling unconscious.
 
The foreman MA, 49, and other workers repeated corroborative testimonies regarding what the victim said before falling unconscious.
 
AH, 39, Egyptian clerk, testified that victim was well-behaved and there were no notices about him. He assured that the victim had no problems with any of the workers.
 
“I was in the office when I heard workers shouting and screaming outside. I rushed out and saw that the victim was completely burnt and that fire was extinguished. Workers told me that DA poured petrol on the victim and set the fire when he was in the store,” testified the clerk.
 
MJ, 46, Pakistani bus driver, testified that some workers complained about smell of petrol in the bus. “I checked the bus but did not find anything,” he testified.
 
Second Lieutenant Ali Juma, who checked the crime scene, testified that it was a murder by fire.
 
“I could not question the victim who remained unconscious for four days before he died,” said the officer.
 
A forensic doctor reported that the cause of death was burns of different degrees all over the body and the most severe burns were on his back.
 
A fire expert reported that the cause of fire was petrol and a flame that started near the door and spread all over the store. He reported about workers’ uniforms and shoes found in the store.
 
The accused is being prosecuted in absentia for premeditated murder and murder attempt in addition to setting fire to his employer’s store.

The court will reconvene on September 13.
 
 

,

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.