Men arrested for burning drug victim's body in his car

The Dubai Police have solved the mystery of a student's death in Dubai, arresting the four suspects who set fire to a car with the victim in it, 10 days after he died of a drug overdose.

On December 14, the Dubai Police operations room was informed around 2:30 pm of a fire that broke out in a car parked in Abu Hail area, near the ladies park. Fire brigades and police teams that rushed to the site found that the Lexus car with a Dubai number plate belonged to a female UAE national.

Inside the charred car, they found the body, which turned out to be that of a 19-year-old student, JF, a UAE national. Forensic tests revealed that the victim had died 10 days before the car burning.

A police team was formed to get to the bottom of the matter. The deceased's family members told the investigators that the teenager had been jailed for using drugs and had been pardoned on the occasion of the UAE National Day. He then left home the day after he was pardoned,saying that he was going to meet a friend.

He had also promised to stop using drugs and told his family he was going to advice his friend to stop taking drugs as well.

Taking his mother's Lexus car, JF left home. The police investigation further revealed that the victim first went to see his friend KH, and then the three other suspects - YJ, MA and JN - and they all drove to the Al Quoz area. There, KH gave heroin injections to JF and the other suspects. Soon, JF collapsed; his condition then started to worsen and he seemed to stop breathing. So KH went to a nearby supermarket and bought a powder and mixed it with water and administered it to the victim, which seemed to revive him.

One of the other suspects suggested they take JF to the hospital, but they were scared of being questioned. KH then drove the other suspects to their homes and then drove JF's car and parked it in a sandy area close to his home. He told the police that when he left the car there, the victim was still alive. After two days, he returned to the spot and found JF dead in the back seat. He informed the other three men and they discussed what to do with the body.

They decided to set the car on fire, thinking that it would conceal the cause of death of the victim.

On December 14, KH, YJ and MA bought petrol from a fuel station in Hamriya, drove the victim's car to Abu Hail and set fire to it. They fled the scene immediately, taking a taxi from Hor Al Anz are to Naif area. During police interrogation, the four suspects - who have criminal records - confessed to the act and were referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution