Murder witnesses to be heard on December 7

Manama : Prosecution witnesses will be heard on December 7 in the appeals of two men implicated in the brutal murder of a Bangladeshi man. The duo, also Bangladeshi nationals, were convicted of the premeditated murder of 31-year-old Taher Antaz and were handed down death penalty each.

The victim whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase was allegedly murdered after being lured into a trap by promising sex with a prostitute. He was tied up, gagged and hung from a ceiling fan at an apartment in Ras Ruman on April 29, 2013. His body was later dumped in a garbage bin and was found by a street cleaner near Naim Health Centre the following day.

One of the defendants, aged 30, told prosecutors that they had murdered the victim following a dispute over sharing profits from prostitution. He confessed that he and his 31-year-old co-defendant were operating a prostitution ring and had rented out two apartments. The incident leading to the murder occurred when the victim demanded a share of the money they were making from the business.

“Customers would pay us BD5 to have sex with the women,” the 30-year-old said in his statement. “We then met him (the victim) and he wanted a share of our profits and had threatened to kill, if we refuse.”

“We initially planned to suffocate him with a pillow, but we tied him up and hung him from a ceiling fan,” said the 29-year-old.

Both of them were charged with inciting prostitution, living off prostitution, hiding tools used to commit a crime, theft, staying in Bahrain illegally and desecrating the victim’s body. The court has also gave them three years in jail for the aforementioned charges. A third defendant was also implicated in the same case, but was sentenced to only 10 days for illegal residency. Judges have also ordered for his deportation.

Taher Antaz