Dubai A man, who killed his lover’s husband, doused him with petrol and burnt his body, has been sentenced to death.

The 32-year-old man from Comoros Islands lured his countryman best friend to a car, struck him with a rock, mowed him down and killed him before setting him on fire in October 2016.

On Tuesday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of premeditatedly murdering the victim in collaboration with the latter’s wife.

A watchman saw the body of the deceased on fire near a warehouse in Al Ghusais and alerted Dubai Police and the Civil Defence.

The victim’s body was found to have been completely burnt when law enforcement officers arrived at the murder scene.

 She said she had planned with her accomplice to stage a fight with her husband and then the lover would intervene to end the dispute between them before they carry out the murder.”

 - Testimony of Dubai Police major 


Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal sentenced the 22-year-old woman, from Comoros Islands, to 15 years in jail.

The convicted couple stood puzzled and silent once they heard presiding judge Jamal pronouncing the judgement, that remains subject to appeal within 15 days.

Police investigation revealed that the woman and her countryman lover had conspired to kill her husband.

The male suspect had been having a sexual affair with the wife of the victim, who was his best friend.

According to Tuesday’s ruling, presiding judge Jamal referred the convicted couple to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court to be tried for having consensual sex. The male defendant will also be tried for having alcohol.

The male accused had lured his best friend [husband] to his car, tied his hands and legs and then pounded his head with a rock. When he noticed that the victim was still breathing, he struck his head repeatedly on the car and ran his car over him several times. Then he took the body to an area in front of the warehouse, poured petrol and set it on fire.

The two accused had pleaded not guilty during the trial and the man contended that the woman had incited and provoked him to kill her husband.

The victim’s 85-year-old father testified that his son had been married to the woman for four years and they shared his accommodation with their two children.

“When I asked my daughter-in-law about her husband’s whereabouts, she told me that he went to the beach. The next day she claimed that he did not show up and that he had not answered her calls,” the father said.

The Indian watchman, who found the burnt body, said the victim was already dead when he called the police at 11pm.

A police major testified that the woman admitted to him that she had been having an illicit affair with her husband’s friend [the male accused] for two years.

“She said due to constant quarrels with her husband, she and her lover decided to get rid of the victim. She said she had planned with her accomplice to stage a fight with her husband and then the male defendant would intervene to resolve the dispute between them before they carry out the murder,” the major said.

Dubai Police’s forensic examiner testified that the victim had already died before he was set on fire.

The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.