A market worker stabbed a man in the chest during a row over some fruits and vegetables, Dubai Criminal Court was told on Wednesday.
On January 16, a 24-year-old Pakistani worker at Dubai’s vegetable and fruit market was loading products onto a cart to move them into the shop where he worked when he was approached by his colleague.
"He started screaming at me saying that the cart was his, I told him it was not and resumed my work," the man said in court records.
He said his countryman was holding a kitchen knife while ordering him to return the cart.
“I placed my foot on the cart and continued working but he pushed me and we both started fighting,” the man said.
A number of nearby workers helped break up the fight and when they did, the man fell unconscious. The men noticed his bloodied shirt as he fell down and called police and an ambulance.
A Pakistani driver, 22, told the court he was at the market when he heard screams.
“I looked up and saw the two of them fighting, I hadn't seen the knife at all, but I rushed there to break the fight along with other workers.
"We separated the two then the victim fell to the ground, I saw blood on his shirt but didn't know why and that he was stabbed," the driver said.
He said an ambulance arrived four minutes later. "As I walked back to my shop, I saw a small knife on the ground but didn't connect the dots," he said.
The man was taken to Rashid Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Meanwhile his attacker was arrested.
A medical report showed that the knife pierced the man’s right ventricle and an immediate surgery was required to save his life.
During police questioning, the defendant said he was using the knife as part of his work and he did not intend to stab his colleague with it.
In court on Monday, he denied an attempted murder charge.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 2.