Victim's partner & French cousins held in end of year murder
On Tuesday the police announced the arrests of four suspects in connection with the murder of 66-year-old Mimoun Bergoual, who was found in a farmhouse in Oud Ade last December. The suspects include a 38-year-old Leiden woman, believed to be the male victim's partner, and three men from France aged 48, 31, and 23, reported Omroep West.
The broadcaster identified the three residents of France as Bergoual's cousins. They were arrested with the cooperation of French investigators. An extradition request by Dutch authorities is imminent, the broadcaster reported.
"All four are suspected of involvement in the death of the 66-year-old man from Oud Ade," police said in a statement. All suspects were being kept in restricted custody, and were only allowed contact with their lawyers.
At around 5:50 a.m. on December 29, police received a report of a robbery on a farmhouse on Hofdijklaan in Oud Ade. The victim's wife called the police after she fled her home, saying that her husband was the victim of a robbery.
At the beginning of January, local police put out a national call for more information, which led to three tips. A great deal of uncertainty swirled around Bergoual's death, and Dutch police hope to gain insight into the last moments of the victim's life.
The arrests followed an extensive investigation, police said, which was led by the public prosecutor. They have been in close contact with the French authorities in recent past months.
Bergoual was a real estate entrepreneur who previously owned the Tanger supermarket on the Kooiplein in Leiden, just west of his home. The Halal supermarket folded last year. He also owned several other pieces of property.
