Indian to face firing squad for killing wife in UAE

Dubai: In a rare instance, an Indian national along with his Pakistani friend will face the firing squad in the UAE after Dubai's highest court upheld their death sentence for killing the Indian man's wife after she accused him of committing adultery with a Filipina.

The death sentence, handed down to Indian man identified only as AQ and his Pakistani friend RA for strangling the woman in 2013, were upheld by Cassation Court on Monday. AQ and RA lost their legal battle and will be executed for strangling the wife in bed before putting her body in a garbage bag and dumping it in Al Fuqaa area, Gulf News reported.

Following three consecutive hearings at the Dubai Cassation Court, presiding judge Abdul Aziz Abdullah rejected the appeals for a reduced punishment and upheld the verdict.

In October, the Dubai Appeal Court dismissed the duo's appeal and upheld the death sentence given to them. The two had pleaded not guilty. AQ's father said his late daughter-in-law constantly complained to him over the phone, saying his son often beat her and cheated on her with a Filipina.

A police officer said AQ confessed to have killed his wife because he could not afford to pay her maintenance (as per Indian laws) if he divorced her. The two friends then murdered the wife while she slept.

The case surfaced in court for the first time in September 2013. A Bangladeshi cleaner discovered the woman's body, according to records. "Primary interrogation led to the arrest of RA who confessed that they strangled the wife. He admitted that AQ gave him a gold bracelet in return for 600 dirhams (USD 163) to buy a ticket and fly to India," police said.

The ruling of the Cassation Court is final. The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE, also because it can be commuted if the family of the victim forgives the murder, accepting financial compensation for the crime, according to Hands Off Cain, a non-profit organisation for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.