Dubai: A technician will face death by firing squad after a court found him guilty of luring his boss into a warehouse where he stabbed him to death before stealing Dh172,000 from him. The court heard he slashed his boss’s face with a knife in a bid to make him unrecognisable.

The technician M.R. was sentenced in absentia as he remains at large since the 2009 murder.

Prosecutors had accused two Pakistani technicians, 31-year-old M.R. and 36-year-old M.A., of murdering their countryman, I.K., and stealing two cheques worth Dh80,000 and withdrawing Dh92,000 in cash from his bank account in May 2009. They then fled the country.

M.A. was arrested in June 2013 in Pakistan after Interpol became involved. When the 36-year-old suspect stood trial, he entered a not guilty plea. He was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

“The bench of judges has unanimously agreed to sentence M.R. to death. Meanwhile M.A. is innocent,” said presiding judge Mohammad Jamal at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.

The men were accused of luring I.K. to the warehouse in Al Rashidiya after telling him that they needed to perform maintenance work to the cooling system.

Records said M.A. made I.K. take measurements while M.R. came from behind and stabbed him several times.

Records said M.R. jabbed the knife in I.K.’s face to disfigure it and make it unrecognisable before slitting his throat.

The duo are then said to have stolen the deceased’s safe keys and gone to his office, where they stole two cheques and bank cards.

A Pakistani witness testified that I.K. went missing for a few days before he and the victim’s brother reported him missing.

Decayed body

A police major said I.K.’s body was recovered in a deserted warehouse near Dubai International Airport in 2009.

“The decayed body was hidden in a huge plastic bag. The deceased was repeatedly stabbed in his chest, face and neck. Investigations revealed that M.R. was the last person spotted with I.K. before he left Dubai. The suspects had stolen the victim’s wallet and car keys. Investigations further unveiled that M.R. emptied the victim’s bank accounts. The workplace’s records showed that M.A. had also left the country unexpectedly… M.A. claimed that he met M.R., according to his statement, and they convinced the victim to go with them to do the maintenance work. M.A. claimed that M.R. killed I.K. with a knife that he hid under his clothes. He alleged that he helped M.R. put the victim’s body in the bag because he was afraid. The 36-year-old claimed that M.R. paid him Dh10,000 to stay quiet and leave the country,” said the major.

Tuesday’s ruling against M.A. remains subject to appeal within 15 days.

Meanwhile M.R. is entitled to a retrial in case he is arrested or turns himself in.