Manama: The murderer who last week strangled to death a prominent Saudi businessman acted after the victim showed him bags of money.
The killer, a Yemeni national who has been living in the kingdom for 16 years, had known the victim, Ahmad Saeed Al Amoudi, the owner of a money exchange company, for the last five years, Saudi daily Makkah reported on Tuesday.
Relations between the two men evolved and there was complete trust from the businessman, 57, in his 53-year-old Yemeni "friend", the daily added.
The investigation was launched after a man called the police to report that his brother had been missing.
Investigators zoomed on the killer after the surveillance cameras of the dead businessman’s neighbours showed Al Amoudi leaving his villa in the Red Sea city of Jeddah at dawn on Friday for the prayers and return later with another man.
The man was recorded leaving the villa hours later, wearing the traditional Saudi white thobe and covering his face with a ghutra, the typical headdress worn by men in the Gulf. He was carrying a large bag and rode in a taxi that he had called to pick him up.
When confronted, the man said he sold honey that he had been at the villa to show the businessman products.
However, he later admitted that he had killed him and took the police to his house where he had hidden the cash.
He said that he had received a call early on Friday from his businessman friend who asked to see him.
The two met in front of a mosque in the Rawdha neighbourhood and went to Al Amoudi's house.
The businessman brought several bags containing large amounts of British Pounds, Saudi Riyals and euros and asked the murderer to help him empty them in a suitcase that they would carry together to hand it over to individuals who would contact him later, the daily said.
However, on seeing the cash, estimated to be around 15 million Saudi Riyals, the Yemeni national became greedy and decided to act to steal it. He tied Al Amoudi's hands and feet, strangled him to death and put his body in a large cash bag that he placed in a larger plastic bag.
The killer then called a taxi driver who took him away from the villa. The investigations are continuing to determine whether he had accomplices.
Al Amoudi was buried on Tuesday morning and his funeral was attended by large crowds, reports said.
