Bohra trader shot in Deira robbery bid

A young Indian tools seller lay in his blood-soaked shirt screaming for help after being shot in the chest at point-blank range in a daylight stickup gone horribly wrong in a crowded area of Dubai on Tuesday, eyewitnesses and the victim’s family told XPRESS. The victim, identified as Hussain Fakhruddin Khokhawala, 22, is recovering at Rashid Hospital after he was shot at by a robber inside his hardware shop, under the Tawakul building on Al Burj Street in Deira. He was attacked after he refused to hand over a large sum of cash, they said. The gunman and an accomplice fled the scene on foot, running in opposite directions down the narrow alley where the Al Rizq Al Halal (Arabic for “lawful providence”) shop is located, they added. “The bullet hit my chest and came out from my backand I screamed out for help,” Khokhawala told Gulf News from his hospital bed. A prominent member of the Dawoodi Bohra community to which Khokhawala belongs told XPRESS, “A bullet was recovered from his body. He was shot at in the chest, just above the heart. But he is stable now. His father who was in Mumbai flew in today.” A cafeteria worker a few shops down the line said: “I heard a gunshot followed by screaming so I came out, two men were running away at full speed. One of them was fair with dark hair. “I heard Hussain screaming ‘police, police!’ so I ran to his shop. He had slumped over, his shirt bloodied by the gunshot wound.” The Bohra community leader said Khokhawala’s cousin Musthafa who worked with him had gone to the nearby CBD Bank to withdraw Dh160,000. He headed back to the shop and handed over the money to Khokhawala. Shortly, two men walked in and asked for some hardware. Since only two of the items were on display on the ground floor, Musthafa went to the mezzenaine floor to fetch the other items. “It was then that Hussain who was alone downstairs was shot at by the gunman,” he said. The bag with the money lay beside his laptop on the table. The men, according to Khokhawala, looked like they were about 25 years of age, and spoke Persian. The cafeteria worker, who did not want to be named, said: “I hope Hussain’s recovering well. He’s a nice guy, ordering refreshments from us all the time. He had had snacks at my shop about half an hour before the shooting.” The worker’s colleague added that two CID officers in traditional Emirati clothes had arrived at the scene within minutes of the incident. Police patrols and emergency medics followed shortly, eyewitnesses said. They added crime scene investigators had cordoned off the shop till Wednesday morning. The shop was closed when XPRESS visited the scene on Wednesday afternoon. A family member of the victim told XPRESS: “We expect Hussain to be discharged very soon.” Police have not revealed details on the incident so far.