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Murdered taxi driver mourned by family, friends

DUBAI — Grieving friends and family members of slain Metro Taxi driver Abdullah Umar Khan have paid tribute to a man they described as decent and devout, with no enemies.

Khan, 50, was stabbed to death sometime on Thursday night in an isolated area between Al Quoz and Al Barsha. Police discovered his mutilated body lying in a pool of blood after an anonymous tip off.

Mohammed Ali, Khan's cousin, said the taxi driver's wife and nine children were devastated by the killing, as were Khan's five brothers and two sisters. "His wife and children depended on him for their living," said Ali, adding Khan's death would badly affect their future.

Meanwhile, Khaleej Times has discovered police have made several early arrests in the case. While police are remaining tight-lipped about their investigation, the Khaleej Times has managed to piece together details of Khan's life, and his last hours.

Khan, who came to the UAE from Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2002, started work as usual at 6am on the morning of Thursday May 4. Like many drivers, Khan worked long hours, often putting in 18 hour days to earn enough money to pay the Dh 235 taxi rental fee, fuel and make a profit for himself. That Thursday, Khan expected to be working until midnight.

Sources at the Metro Taxi company told the Khaleej Times the firm does not keep in touch with drivers during their duty hours, but wait until the end of each day when the drivers come to the office to deposit the days' takings.

It is not known when Khan, who was a devout member of the Muslim Tablighi movement, picked up his last passenger, but sometime during that night an attacker or attackers stabbed Khan at least five times.

His body was then dumped about 20 meters from his taxi, whose doors were locked. Police later discovered Khan's wallet and mobile telephone still inside the car.

Khan's colleagues learnt of the killing later on Friday when a notice was posted in the office announcing his death.

Taxi driver Rafeeq, who said he often saw Khan while they drove passengers around Dubai, said: "He always had a smile on his face. I was shocked to hear somebody killed him in such a brutal way."

Mushtaq, another driver, said: "I had seen him two days before the incident near the office. He greeted me with 'salam' and asked me about the work. I still cannot believe somebody killed him."

Metro Taxi sources confirmed they had recently renewed Khan's work visa and added Khan had never received a traffic fine, always reported for work on time and was regarded as an honest and decent man.

Khan's body is still at Dubai morgue. Scene of crime investigators have been gathering forensic evidence at both the site of the killing and from Khan's body. Khan's brother has traveled to Dubai to make arrangements to return the body to Peshawar for burial.

Khan is the seventh taxi drivers to be killed in the UAE in the past three years. Last year, two Sharjah National taxi drivers were murdered by robbers. And in 2003, four Pakistani drivers were killed by an Afghan national.

Police were last night questioning several suspects arrested in connection with the case, although details of their ages, nationalities or links to Khan have not been revealed.

Anyone with information about the murder of Abdullah Khan is urged to contact Dubai Police as soon as possible.