Relative says killing was over hair clippers

SHARJAH // More than a dozen men have been arrested after a shopkeeper was stabbed to death in what is believed to have been a fight over a pair of hair clippers.

Mohammed Sharief, 34, was closing his electronics store in Al Ghuwair Market at about 10.30pm on Saturday when a gang of about 15 Pakistani men stormed in, said colleagues.

“We got a call from residents that some groups of people were fighting at a shop in the Rolla area,” a spokesman for Sharjah Police said. “Our team rushed to the scene and found one shopkeeper had been stabbed to death.”

Police said Mr Sharief, a father of two from Kerala, India, died at the scene. Four others were injured in the attack and were recovering yesterday in Kuwait Hospital.

Khalil Mattumal, a friend of Mr Sharief who works in a neighbouring shop, was injured after rushing to help.

“It was very frightening. A big group stormed into the shop,” Mr Mattumal said. “They argued fiercely before stabbing Mohammed. I just went there to help my friend when I heard him screaming for help. I never knew it could turn out to be so ghastly.

“They stabbed me in my stomach and my friend was stabbed to death. He was lying there in a pool of blood.”

Mr Mattumal was taken to Kuwait Hospital, where he received stitches to two knife wounds on his stomach.

“This was a continuation of a previous fight that started on Friday,” he said. “They came back on Saturday night to attack him.”

The men who attacked Mr Sharief are believed to have bought some electronic goods from his store, Yafa Electronics, which they then wanted to return.

His nephew, Abdul Salam, said he believed the fight was over a pair of electric clippers.

Mr Salam said his uncle had two sons who were in India on holiday with their mother.

“The family has been informed about the death,” he said. “They are devastated.”

Sharjah Police said they were still investigating the incident, but revealed a large number of men had been arrested.

Al Ghuwair Market remained closed yesterday as a mark of respect for Mr Sharief, who had run his store there for the past 15 years.

“This should not have happened,” said Haneef, a fellow shopkeeper.

“Killing is never forgivable.”

Haneef said he knew Mr Sharief well and that he was not the sort to ever fight with anyone.

“I have been friends with him for the past three years,” he said. “He was a good person.”

Other shopkeepers spoke in anger of the need for police to prevent such an incident happening again.

“We are already suffering due to dull business and the incident has left us shocked,”said a shopkeeper, who asked not to be identified.

“This is the first time we are witnessing such a thing in Al Ghuwair.”

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