He didn't want strange men touching her

The authorities in Dubai are horrified over a father's despicable actions towards his own daughter, which resulted in her death.

A report on news website Emirates 24/7 on Sunday said that an Asian family based in Dubai had gone to the beach for a picnic.

The children were swimming when the 20-year-old daughter started struggling in the water and shouted for help.

Search and rescue officials rushed to save her, but were stopped by her father.

He reportedly said he preferred that his daughter die rather than be touched by a strange man, a top Dubai official was quoted as saying.

It is not known when the incident happened, but it came to light in an interview that Lieutenant-Colonel Ahmed Burqibah, deputy director of Dubai Police's Search and Rescue Department, had with Emirates 24/7, a news website in the United Arab Emirates.

He said: "This is one of the incidents which I cannot forget. It shocked me and many others who were involved in the case.

"Two rescue men were at the beach and they rushed to help the girl.

"But there was one obstacle which prevented them from reaching the girl and helping her. "This obstacle was the belief of this Asian man who considered that if these men touched his daughter, then this would dishonour her.

"It cost him the life of his daughter."

Lt-Col Burqibah said: "The father was a tall and strong man. He started pulling and preventing the rescue men and got violent with them.

"He told them that he prefers his daughter being dead than being touched by a strange man."

ARRESTED

Lt-Col Burqibah said that this delay and fight with the girl's father cost the girl her life.

"She died unfortunately, at a time when she had a chance to live, especially that the rescue men were so close to her to pull her out of the water," the website quoted him as saying Lt-Col Burqibah added that the father was later arrested by Dubai Police for stopping the rescue team from saving his daughter's life and doing their job.

"He was prosecuted and sued by the concerned authorities," he said.

This article was first published on Aug 12, 2015.
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