A 23-year-old German woman is currently facing murder charges after being taken into custody on suspicion of tracking down and killing her lookalike in order to fake her own death.
Authorities claim that the woman identified as Sharaban K., a beautician of Iraqi descent from Munich, used social media to search for women who resembled her closely, before allegedly killing one of them in an attempt to go into hiding, due to a reported family dispute German news outlets reports.
The case has been dubbed the ‘doppelganger murder’ by the local media.
The suspect and others involved in the case are referred to by their first names and last initials which is customary in the German legal system.
It’s understood that Sharaban K, set up a fake Instagram account to lure her unsuspecting victim 23-year-old beauty blogger Khadidja O. who is of Algerian descent with a “cosmetic offer” following several failed attempts with other women.
“I can confirm that the accused 23-year-old female obviously planned to start a new life due to family problems,” police spokesperson Andreas Aichele shared with the media.
She along with a co-accused utilized social media “to find any persons looking as similar to her as possible,” Aichele said.
“Investigations revealed contact to several young ladies during a period of few weeks. Investigators assume that under a pretext she managed to organize a meeting with the later victim.”
“Together with the 23-year-old male she traveled to the Heilbronn region to pick her up and carry out the planned murder,” Aichele added.
According to reports the murder itself occurred in August of last year following the discovery of the body in a parked Mercedes in Ingolstadt, southern Germany, that was initially thought to be of Sharaban K.
The face which was said to be disfigured however had some strongly distinctive features which matched that of the suspect leading the family to believe she was killed.
A post-mortem examination of the body had however raised questions about the true identity of the victim.
Both Sharaban K and her friend whose also accused of plotting the scheme were later detained by Police in connection with the matter however, the full extent of the case and their alleged motives were not publicly disclosed by authorities until this week.
Speaking to local media outlet Bild Police spokesperson Aichele shared that: “The crime weapon has not been found, but the evidence is overwhelming.”
He also revealed that: “The victim was killed with over 50 thrusts of the knife, the face completely disfigured.”
Arrest warrants were issued for both persons last week, and they each face life in prison if convicted.
