Photo: Man lured a 9-year-old boy into his car by promising to buy him a scooter then raped and killed him

A man has been arrested for allegedly raping and killing a nine-year-old boy who went missing in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on Friday, May 20. Police began searching for Obaida after he was reported missing from his home in the industrial area of Sharjah.

The 48-year-old Jordanian was arrested on Sunday morning after police received a report that a body of a child had been found under a tree in Academic City Road in Al Warqa area. 

Major General Khamis Al Muzeina, chief of Dubai Police, said the child was kidnapped from in front of a garage in Sharjah’s industrial area, where the boy’s father worked.

"The forensics doctor said that the boy had been dead for less than 24 hours and had been strangled. There were signs of struggle on the boy’s chest and hands as well as signs that he had been sexually assaulted. Within two hours of receiving the call, we were able to locate the suspect, who was the last person to be seen with Obaida and was one of the father’s acquaintances." said Major Muzeina.

The police chief said the suspect, who had previous offences, changed his place of residence when Obaida disappeared. Maj Gen Khalil Al Mansouri, assistant commander of CID at Dubai Police, said under questioning the man admitted to killing Obaida after trying to rape him. The suspect allegedly lured Obaida into his car on Friday at 7pm by promising to buy him a scooter.

"He went to Al Mamzar area in a car which he had borrowed from his building’s watchman, then parked the car and started to drink alcohol," Maj Gen Al Mansouri said. "The man told the nine-year-old to undress, but the child resisted and told the man he would tell his father, at which point, the suspect tried to stop the child from screaming and strangled him to death using his hands, then with a head cover."

Maj Gen Al Mansouri said the man left the boy’s body in the back seat of the car and continued to consume alcohol until 5am, when he left the area to go back to his residence in Sharjah.

At 7am, the man went to Academic City and dumped the body as well as other items used in the crime.

Source: The National