Indian man, wife tortures, starves mother to death in Dubai

An Indian couple has been charged at a Dubai court with physically assaulting the man's elderly mother, causing her bone and rib fractures, internal bleeding and starving her to death, according to a media report.

According to the Gulf News, the 29-year-old man and his 28-year-old wife, whose identity have not been revealed, tortured the woman repeatedly and they even cut her right eye iris out and part of her other eye, the Court of First Instance heard.

The torture is believed to have lasted from July 2018 till October 2018. A forensic doctor said that the woman weighed just 29 kg at the time of her death, the report said.

"She was tortured repeatedly over a short span of time. Burns covered 10 per cent of her body. The bone and rib fractures, internal bleeding, beating with different tools, burns, negligence and starvation have all led to the deterioration of her health condition," the doctor said.

According to a hospital certificate, the woman died on October 31, 2018.

The couple has been detained but they denied the charge. A case was registered at Al Qusais police station, the report said.

The case was exposed by the couple's 54-year-old neighbour, who is a hospital employee, it said. The Indian witness recounted how the man's wife visited her at her apartment in the same building.

"I found his mother on the floor... She was in a critical condition and needed urgent medical treatment. I called the ambulance."

A Filipino paramedic added that the son did not help carry his mother to the ambulance while the neighbours, who were around, stepped in to help.

The trial has been adjourned until July 3 and the couple will remain in custody till then.