Five Sri Lankans convicted for burying body of compatriot

Five Sri Lankan men have been convicted in Qatar of secretly burying the body of a compatriot who died after a drinking bout in December 2007.
While three of them who appeared in the court were handed down a year’s imprisonment, two of the accused who had left the country were sentenced to three years jail in absentia.
According to court sources, the deceased, in his late 20’s, was buried by his friends in a deserted area in Wukair on December 20, 2007.
The accused said the victim died after drinking a large quantity of undiluted whiskey: “Soon after, he started vomiting and lost consciousness. We tried to revive him but in vain.”
The matter came to the fore when the brother of the deceased filed a case on January 2, 2008, saying that he had not seen him since December 19, 2007 and that his mobile was switched off. He also told the police about his brother’s friends.
The main accused told the police that he along with two of his friends transported the body to the Wukair area where it was buried in a shallow grave. He led the police to the scene from where the body was recovered.
A forensic report showed that the man was a regular user of amphetamine. There were no injury marks on the body.
The court found that the three of them were guilty of hiding the body and based on their confessions sentenced them to one year imprisonment and subsequent deportation.
(Gulf Times)