Two Pakistanis jailed in Dubai for beating Indian to death

Two Pakistani men, who clubbed an Indian national to death following quarrel over buying liquor, have been sentenced to five years in jail by a Dubai court.

The two Pakistani nationals, identified by their initials A S and M A, denied beating the Indian bootlegger with a wooden stick but admitted beating him with their hands.

Justice Maher Salama Al Mahdi of the Dubai court of first instance on Wednesday convicted the Pakistani duo of assaulting the Indian and causing his death, the Gulf News reported on Thursday.

The judge said the defendants, both drivers, will be deported after serving their punishments. "We did not beat him with a wooden stick. We consumed liquor and had a fight because he thought we wanted to turn him in to the police... We did not intend to kill him," 41-year-old A S told the court.

Prosecutors here had accused A.S. and his 30-year-old countryman M.A., with assaulting the bootlegger, K K, and killing him by hitting him on his head with a wooden stick on his head. The report, however, did not say when the incident had happened.

Court records said another Indian saw the victim bleeding on the street before he called police. An Emirati policeman said the victim was still alive and in a coma when he was rushed to hospital.

The judgement remains subject to appeal within 15 days, the report said