‘Dozens of suspects confess to other crimes during Muqabalein murder investigation’

AMMAN — Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department, chasing up leads in the murder of a security guard killed early last month in south Amman, have arrested dozens of suspects involved in other felonies. 

The murder of a 51-year-old man, who was found dead on April 3 while guarding companies in the Rajeeb area in Muqabalein, was a challenge for police as the perpetrators left no evidence at the scene, a security officer told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

But after reviewing surveillance footage, investigators saw part of the front of the car used by the suspects to burglarise a shop in the area, but the licence plate number could not be seen, the police officer said on condition of anonymity. 

The four suspects, including a 17-year-old, were reportedly in the process of stealing from a shop and were surprised by the victim who tried to prevent them, a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times in previous remarks. 

“We had to gather information on robbers who used almost the same car model,” the security officer said, adding that police summoned dozens of men with criminal records related to armed robberies. 

While questioning them, dozens confessed to committing recent robberies still being investigated, but they all denied links to the murder of the guard, according to the security source, who noted that detectives raided the house of a man with criminal records who owned a similar car.

The man admitted that his nephews took his car on the night of the murder, and insisted he was innocent.

Officers immediately went to the suspects’ houses and arrested them, the source said, adding that they confessed to killing the guard, who is survived by four children.

“They stole canned food and 50 boxes of cigarettes worth just hundreds of dinars,” the police officer said.    

The four suspects have been charged by the Criminal Court prosecutor with premeditated murder and robbery.