A man involved in the murder of two security guards during a diesel robbery lost his appeal against a life sentence in jail on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old Pakistani was one of four men who raided a Dubai concrete molding company on the morning of March 12, 2010. After gaining access to the premises, the four - one Arab and three Pakistanis aged between 30 and 37 - repeatedly stabbed both security guards to death and drove off with 6,602 litres 1,744 gallons of diesel worth Dh33,500.
The victims, a Bangladeshi and an Indian, were stabbed in the back, chest and forehead.
A security guard who just began his evening shift contacted the police at about 6pm after finding the Bangladeshi’s body in a small corridor behind the company’s restaurant.
Police said that the Indian’s body was dumped in a rubbish dumpster 300 metres away.
The three Pakistani defendants were arrested at their apartment in Al Warsan but it was not revealed when that happened. Police found money in their possession that they had received for selling the stolen diesel.
“They admitted and said they had planned it with the Arab man,” said a policeman.
The men told police how they arrived in two tankers and filled them with the diesel. They later paid the Arab defendant Dh4,625 as a reward but he denied knowing that the guards had been killed.
The Arab was arrested in Egypt after fleeing the country following the murders.
All four were referred to Dubai Criminal Court, where they denied premeditated murder and theft charges in April 2015.
On March 26 this year, all four were sentenced to life in jail, to be followed by deportation. Only one appealed and lost his bid on Tuesday so they will all have to see out their life sentences, which is a standard 25 years in the UAE.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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