Alert sounded after ‘attempt to murder’ in Oman

Muscat: Homeowners have been asked by the Royal Oman Police (ROP) to stay alert after an alleged case of attempted murder and adultery surfaced recently in Sohar.
The ROP stated that owners should follow all procedures of identification before renting out their houses to tenants.
The tenants were also warned against subletting homes without the consent of owners.
An expatriate, charged with attempted murder, was arrested in Sohar for allegedly throwing a prostitute down three floors following a disagreement over money earned from indulging in adultery, the ROP had reported on Wednesday.
According to the ROP, the victim had escaped from her sponsor’s house in Muscat with the accused after he persuaded her to offer her services to expatriate labourers in the Falaj Al Qabail area of Sohar.
Three more people were also arrested on charges of indulging in adultery with the victim.
When the Times of Oman asked a senior ROP official about whether the homeowner was interrogated about the unlawful activities going on in his leased house or apartment, he said, “The homeowner is not required by law to be interrogated because the house is used by the tenant and not himself.”
He added, “If the landlord follows the correct procedures and has a signed contractual agreement with the tenant, then he is not at fault since he doesn’t know what is happening in the house or apartment.”
The ROP official advised landlords to sporadically monitor their property, specifically villas, and report any suspicious or unlawful activity in order to protect their investment, saying that “indecent activities, such as turning the house into a brothel could harm the reputation of other properties in the area and of the neighbourhood itself.”
However, some landlords lease houses and apartments to friends or relatives without a signed contractual agreement and if they are caught doing illegal activities in the property the lessor will be also investigated. “If there wasn’t a signed agreement between both parties then it is probable that the landlord had prior knowledge of what the property is used for,” said the ROP official.