The victim’s body was found on August 15 in her apartment in Wittgensteinlaan. Acquaintances of hers had alerted the police shortly before after she did not show up for an appointment. After investigation, the police quickly came to the conclusion that the woman must have died as a result of a crime.
Now the police say that the woman was probably killed by someone posing as a police officer. The man allegedly rang the doorbell after the woman had previously received a call from another fake police officer, who told her that her home was a possible target for burglars. Another suspect then allegedly went to the house. With the story that he came to check the hinges and locks in the house, he would have managed to enter the house.
Confrontation
What happened next is not entirely clear, but police suspect that at some point the victim realized it was a fake officer, a confrontation ensued and violence was used against the woman. She would eventually die from the injuries the woman sustained.
The two suspects (20 and 23 years old) were arrested in the days after the fatal incident. A 19-year-old woman from Zaandam was also arrested, but she has since been released and is no longer a suspect in the case. The other two suspects are still in custody.
“This is a very serious, nasty case,” says police spokesperson Marijke Stor. “We have now organized two residents’ meetings. Local residents have been informed about the case, but we have also told them what they can do if they find themselves in such a situation.”
Tips
“The people from that neighborhood are not necessarily unsafe,” said the spokesperson, “but chatter tricks are timeless and forewarned counts for two.”
According to Stor, you should be skeptical in any case if you receive a call about ‘burglary lists’ that you may or may not be on, or bank cards that need to be collected. “When you get a call like that, all the alarm bells should start ringing.”
“If someone is at the door, you have to look carefully at the uniform,” says Stor. “For example, whether that uniform is complete. And police officers must always be able to identify themselves.” An example of such a police ID is on the website of the police.