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An Emirati student has denied fatally punching an Indian real estate boss during a row in a Dubai hotel, with his legal team set to argue the death was caused by a head injury the businessman sustained while he was being transported by ambulance to hospital, it was reported.
 
The 22-year-old Emirati, named as KK, is accused of punching 45-year-old Mahendran Yadav twice in the head and face during a row over the Indian property manager taking photos on his mobile phone.
 
The punch led Yadav to fall to the ground unconscious and he later died of a brain haemorrhage at Rashid Hospital. The incident took place at the One&Only Royal Mirage on Sunday, August 9.
 
At a hearing at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday KK denied the charge of manslaughter. “No, I never caused his death,” KK was quoted as saying in court by Gulf Today newspaper.

However, sources told 7DAYS newspaper KK’s legal team will argue that Yadav’s death was not directly caused by their client’s actions but by a mistake by ambulance crew when they were transporting him to hospital.
 
“They [paramedics] knocked him off the trolley while they were transferring him to the ambulance. His head hit the ground and that’s what caused the bleeding inside the brain and caused his death later,” an unnamed source was quoted as telling 7DAYS.
 
During the September 27 court hearing, a 23-year-old Indian waiter, who had attempted to revive Yadav by throwing water on his face, testified that he did not see the businessman fall off the ambulance trolley.
 
Another witness, a 31-year-old Canadian businessman who was part of Yadav’s group, confirmed that the argument began over concerns the Emirati had that the photos the group were taking could include images of his fiancée sitting nearby.

“We don’t know the reason behind the assault and all the pictures were group pictures and we didn’t take pictures of the suspect or the girl who was sitting with him,” the witness told the court.
 
The venue’s Egyptian manager told the court he tried to intervene in the dispute and pull KK away from Yadav: “He told me that the victim had photographed him some 50 to 60 times.”
 
KK’s defence team appealed to the court to give more time to compile evidence and the case has been adjourned until October 25, with the defendant remaining in custody.