DUBAI: A court here has sentenced two Indian brothers to life imprisonment for murdering a compatriot and dumping his body in a hole after stealing his mobile phone.

The Dubai Court of First Instance awarded the life term, which effectively means 25 years in prison, to the Indian men, who have been identified only as 42-year-old JO and 28-year-old OO.

They were convicted of the premeditated murder of their compatriot, DB who was beaten with an iron bar and suffocated with a wet towel. The brothers were also found guilty of stealing his mobile phone.

The brothers will be deported after serving their sentence, which is subject to appeal.

The duo denied they intended to kill DB and told the court they accidentally murdered him after a quarrel. OO, however, confessed to drinking and hiding the victim's body in a hole.