A man set 13 cars on fire after launching an arson attack on a fellow bus driver he claimed was costing him business by lowering his fares. The 42-year-old Pakistani doused his rival’s bus in petrol before using a lit cigarette to set it ablaze, Dubai Criminal Court heard.
A 24-year-old Pakistani minibus driver was said to have dropped off staff who work at Dubai Outlet Mall and had parked his minibus in the outer parking. He received a phone call from his friend at 2 am, according to records, and was told his vehicle was on fire.
He rushed out to the parking to check what had happened before he was notified by police interrogators and firefighters that his vehicle had been deliberately set on fire.
Upon checking CCTVs, police interrogators and crime scene investigators saw a man running away from the burning bus with his clothes on fire.
Police identified the driver, a 42-year-old Pakistani man, from the plate number of the minibus and apprehended him. The suspect pleaded guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.
“Yes I burned them,” he told presiding judge Habib Awad.
The 24-year-old Pakistani driver claimed to prosecutors that he was not aware that the suspect had been driving staff to the mall.
A police sergeant testified to prosecutors: “As crime scene investigators confirmed that the fire wasn’t accidental, we checked the CCTV cameras. We identified the suspect from the minibus plate number. He was seen running away from the burning bus and part of his clothes got caught by fire. After his arrest, he admitted that he set the minibus on fire because the 24-year-old had been causing him to lose business. He alleged that he used to drive staff to Outlet Mall before the 24-year-old driver started transporting staff at lower prices. He claimed that the 24-year-old constantly and repeatedly reduced the prices of transporting staffers and he decided to take revenge because he was losing financially and couldn’t afford to lose any further. He admitted that he poured benzene on the minibus and tossed a lit up cigarette on it.”
Records said 12 cars were also gutted by fire as they had been parked beside the minibus. A judgement will be heard on October 29.
Source Credit: Gulf News
