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Maid, boyfriend get death for murder

The Khorfakkan Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld the lower court’s verdict sentencing an Asian housemaid, B.R.M., and her boyfriend G.A.A., to death for murdering her employer. The 42-year-old hearing-impaired woman employer was found dead inside her bedroom in Al Luluiya district of Khorfakkan in February last year.

Another housemaid, G A M, who sheltered the accused maid, was fined Dh500 for covering up the crime.

The case dates back to February 12 last year, when the Layla, the victim was knifed to death in her house, where she was living alone. The maid had been working with her for more than two years.

According to Layla’s brother Saif Al Ghawai, his sister was living with other family members earlier, but told him two years ago that she wanted to live alone in the house of their parents, who died more than 18 years ago. In his testimony, Al Ghawai said he agreed to her request after she insisted on that. “The house was rearranged and a maid was hired to look after her,” he said. “On the fateful day, we were attending a wedding in Sharjah, where my sister was supposed to come. But she didn’t turn up,” Al Ghawai said.

“We tried to call her but her mobile phone was switched off. After, returning to Khorfakkan I drove to her house along with my son and maternal aunt. We knocked on the door several times but there was no response. Then, I asked my son to jump over the wall and open the door from inside.”

As they stepped inside, there was unbearable stench and found the door of the hall tightly locked. On entering the bedroom, they found Layla’s body tied with a rope in the middle of the room. A head scarf, usually worn by the maid, was found next to her.

The police found that the housemaid had disappeared with her passport. It was found that jewellery and nearly Dh20,000 in cash was also missing. Al Ghawai told the court that the keys of the rooms and the hall were found dumped in a dust bin.

The Eastern Region Police managed to arrest the runaway maid in Dubai. When confronted with evidence during interrogation, she confessed to murdering Layla with her boyfriend’s help. She said she killed her employer because of frequent fights between them. The police tracked down her boyfriend in Abu Dhabi and arrested him.

The three-member bench of the court, presided by Ahmed Saeed Al Naqabi, found the pair guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced them to death on October 11 last year. The court also issued a fine of Dh500 on another maid for sheltering the murderer and covering up the crime.

The trio contested the verdict at Khorfakkan appellate court, which turned down their petition, and upheld the lower court’s ruling.

salah@khaleejtimes.com