Dutch Teacher Killed Onboard Sailboat in Cartagena
Cartagena - A DUTCH citizen, Durdana Bruijn, aged 54 (stated as 60 in other reports), was apparently killed by a band of 'pirates' that boarded the sailboat as it was anchored in Rosario Islands, Cartagena, Columbia on Saturday night, reports El Heraldo.
Durdana Bruijn, who was a teacher, received gunshot wounds and reportedly died inside the boat. She had arrived in the sailboat, Lazy Duck, on 17 September with her 65-year-old husband on a journey through the Caribbean after leaving Santa Marta.
They were in the boat enjoying a few days of walking, according to initial reports, near the Big Island, the most populated of the archipelago of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Six armed assailants were said to have boarded at night and assaulted the couple. Durdana's husband received several blows and was knocked unconscious. When he came round, he found his wife dead, gagged and covered in blood. He alerted the Coast Guard hotline and a unit was sent to the crime scene, according to preliminary reports by Police investigators.
The thugs left a knife on the 12-meter yacht of Dutch couple. The ship named ‘Lazy Duck’, was in the custody of the authorities.
The incident became a "complex case" for the authorities after investigators discovered that the situation, evidence and the version of the husband of the victim did not fit or had inconsistencies about the facts.
Durdana’s body was taken to the morgue of Forensic Medicine in Zaragocilla neighbourhood arriving at 9:30 am yesterday. The commander of the Coast Guard, Commander Jorge Herrera, stated that the body had no gunshot wounds, which has raised questions about initial reports of the incident. "This is an atypical and unusual case in this insular area. Our patrols are constant and we believe that should be investigated to determine the cause of this bloody event.” said the official.
A later police report indicated that the woman had no gunshot or knife wounds. She reportedly suffered injuries with a blunt object.
The small sailboat is in the bay of Cartagena at this time, near the fishing club in Manga.
The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cartagena, General Carlos Rodriguez Cortes, announced a reward of up to $30 million to anyone who provides information to allow the capture of those responsible for this crime.
Sources: El Heraldo Link1 Link2 [Spanish language]
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