The Cost of Loyalty

The person in the picture is Dr. Ayda, and her story is one of the most significant cases in Egyptian criminal investigation. It serves as a real-life lesson for every elderly person living alone, and for those who place absolute trust in those around them, especially mobile phone shop owners - and you'll soon find out why. In 2018, in one of the upscale neighborhoods in the Heliopolis area, 73-year-old Dr. Ayda was living alone in a ground floor apartment.

Ayda is a retired medical analyst who chose to remain unmarried and live independently. Following her retirement, she dedicated herself to charitable work and assisting others to the best of her abilities. She had very few social connections and harbored deep mistrust towards others, with only one friend living in a remote area far from New Cairo. Despite her reserved nature, the neighbors and building guard held great admiration and respect for her, understanding her preference for privacy and refraining from intruding unless invited.

installed an iron fence around the apartment and all the windows. Surveillance cameras were also set up in all the surrounding areas, covering from the main entrance to inside the apartment. Dr. Ayda was accustomed to going out early every morning to run errands and returning to her apartment at the end of the day, with her interactions with people limited to mere greetings. One day, after Dr. Ayda had been missing for two full days, the neighbors and the building guard started to detect a very unpleasant smell. Concerned, the building guard decided to knock on her door to check on her.

As he got closer, the smell grew stronger, and he noticed a swarm of flies gathered around the apartment door, which was unusual for the very tidy Dr. Ayda. He decided to inform the building residents, who then alerted the security. Within an hour, the security team arrived at Dr. Ayda's apartment and confirmed the extremely unpleasant smell. They attempted to knock on the door multiple times, assuming someone might be inside, but received no response. Consequently, they chose to break the outer iron door and open the apartment door to ensure everything was alright. Upon entering, they discovered Dr. Ayda lying in the bathroom, submerged in her own blood.

Upon initial inspection, it was evident that she had been struck on the head with a sharp object. The neighbors and the landlord were deeply puzzled because Dr. Ayda was a very kind and well-liked person, and everyone truly respected her, so who could have done this to her? The forensic team later determined that it was a robbery, as indicated by the disorder in the room adjacent to the bathroom, where all the cabinet contents were found scattered on the floor.

As they entered Dr. Ayda's main room, they were struck by the sight that greeted them - everything was in disarray, strewn across the floor. The puzzling part was the absence of anyone to assist the security personnel in identifying the stolen items.

The investigators turned to the crime scene to pinpoint the stolen goods. They discovered a screen holder in the room, but the screen itself was missing, indicating a high likelihood of theft. Furthermore, the security team observed the absence of the surveillance camera's DVR, along with all the cables being cut. Additionally, they found a laptop charger, mobile phone chargers, and a tablet box.

As the belongings are present but the devices themselves are not, it likely means that the belongings have been stolen. They also found her wallet discarded on the ground with all her official documents except for the bank cards, indicating that the thief took the bank cards as well. The forensic experts did not find any signs of forced entry into the apartment, especially considering the extreme difficulty of entry due to the amount of iron bars Dr. Ayda placed on the doors and windows. No unfamiliar fingerprints were found inside the apartment. Dr. Ayda's body was taken to the forensic department, and the criminal investigation team completed their work.

The first step taken by the criminal investigation team was to compile a list of all individuals associated with Dr. Ayda, and they successfully located her sole confidante. Upon interviewing this person, they discovered that Dr. Ayda had not exhibited any unusual behavior, particularly since they had met just a week prior to her passing, and she had not mentioned any issues with anyone. Further inquiries with the neighbors and the building's security guard revealed the presence of a woman named Huda, who visited Dr. Ayda weekly to clean her apartment and attend to her requests. It was revealed that Huda had been in Dr. Ayda's employment for several years, yet little was known about her besides her name.

The crime was discovered on Monday, and the property guard confirmed seeing Huda visiting Dr. Ayda on Thursday. He also mentioned witnessing the doctor leaving her house on Friday, returning home at night after a normal day.

According to neighbors and the property guard, Dr. Ayda trusted Huda a lot.

The investigators tried to locate Huda, but unfortunately, they only had her first name with no further information.

Simultaneously, the investigators sent the mobile phone and tablet boxes found in the apartment to trace their serial numbers. Additionally, the security officers requested all of Dr. Ayda's banking data, as the property guard confirmed her frequent financial transactions via bank cards.

Security personnel requested a detailed account of all withdrawal transactions made last week and any withdrawals that took place while the body was being discovered. They found that a bank card was used to withdraw 1000 pounds in the Al-Matariyah area on Saturday night, marking the first lead in the case. The forensic report confirmed that Dr. Ayeda had sustained three blows to the lower head, resulting in her death. It also indicated that there was no sign of resistance from Dr. Ayeda, and the death likely occurred on Saturday morning, three full days before the discovery of the crime on Monday. The security personnel then connected this information to the bank withdrawal on Saturday night, suggesting that the person who killed Dr. Ayeda might be the same individual who stole the bank card and withdrew the money. The criminal investigation department requested the surveillance footage around the cash withdrawal machine in Al-Matariyah to be reviewed, and they obtained a second piece of information indicating that another withdrawal took place on Tuesday, a day after the crime was discovered. This time, it was also in Al-Matariyah but from a completely different machine and street.

By tracking the serial numbers on the boxes of mobile phones and tablets, security officials were able to determine that the phones were initially closed, but a signal from a tablet indicated that it had been opened, used, and then closed again in the Mataria area. This led the security team to locate a specific address where they discovered a mobile phone store. Upon questioning the store owner, they confirmed the ownership of the tablet found in his possession. He explained that a man and a woman had sold it to him without the original box or any official documentation, citing a medical emergency involving their son. Convinced by their story, he neglected the usual procedures for verifying the device's legitimacy and potential theft. Consequently, he was arrested on suspicion of withholding crucial information, as the tablet was linked to a deceased woman who had been murdered.

The store owner was then asked to provide a detailed description of the man and woman involved, while surveillance footage from the ATM where the withdrawal took place was obtained. Upon reviewing the footage, the security team sought identification from neighbors and the building guard, who recognized the woman in the image as Huda, a former employee of Dr. Ayda, confirming her involvement in the case.

This confirms that the security personnel have identified Huda as the culprit. Even when they showed her picture to the owner of the mobile phone store, he recognized her and confirmed that she was the one who sold him the tablet. Now, the only thing left is to find out where Huda lives and why she did what she did. The security personnel begin searching the Matria area, showing her picture to shop owners, street vendors, and even at public transportation stops, hoping someone will recognize her. One person claims to know her ex-husband, who owns a mechanic workshop in Matria. The security personnel find Huda's ex-husband in his workshop, and he immediately confesses, stating that he had nothing to do with the crimes and that Huda was solely responsible. After she finished her crime, she left the stolen items with him. The security personnel are led to Huda's location and the place where the stolen items are kept. They arrest her and discover that she stole a screen, a laptop, two mobile devices, a tablet, bank cards, and even Dr. Ayda's ration card. She only sold the tablet and the screen, and withdrew 2000 pounds from the bank, claiming she was forced to do so because she had a trust fund. During the interrogation, the security personnel were shocked to learn about the deep trust that had existed between her and Dr. Ayda for three years.

Huda worked with Dr. Ayda for a full three years, and after the first year, Dr. Ayda began to trust her a lot. Huda always made her feel more secure than necessary, and this made Dr. Ayda trust her. Dr. Ayda is not someone who easily trusts others, so Huda had to earn her trust.

After proving herself trustworthy over the first year, Dr. Ayda started sharing every detail of her life and personal secrets with Huda. She even gave Huda her bank cards and asked her to withdraw money or buy groceries, sharing the card passwords as well. Huda learned that Dr. Ayda doesn't have personal relationships and has limited connections with people, including her family.

Dr. Ayda helped Huda with everything, honored her, and often gave her extra money. Huda used to buy groceries for Dr. Ayda from her area, claiming better quality and lower prices.

After three years, Huda decided to commit a crime and steal everything Dr. Ayda owned without anyone knowing.

Huda was well aware of the surveillance camera placements and the location of the DVR device used for recording. Over the course of three years, she took great care to ensure that nobody knew anything about her beyond her name. Two days before the crime, on a Thursday, she was seen at home by the property guard, behaving normally. Before leaving, she offered to bring Dr. Ayda some fish and poultry at a great price, planning to deliver the items the following Thursday. As she left on Thursday, she made sure to be seen by the property guard and others, as she had decided to commit the crime on Saturday. Familiar with Dr. Ayda's schedule, she visited her at 7 am on Saturday, knowing that she usually woke up at dawn. When she knocked on the door, Dr. Ayda saw her through the cameras, carrying a large bag. She claimed to have brought poultry and fish at a better price and higher quality, deciding to deliver them early on Thursday. However, the large bag she carried was empty, intended for concealing the stolen items. Dr. Ayda welcomed her warmly, treating her like a daughter. After entering the apartment, she asked Huda to place the items in the kitchen. While Dr. Ayda was in the bathroom, Huda struck her on the head multiple times with an iron mortar pestle, causing her to lose consciousness and start bleeding, given her age of seventy-three.

Huda started wandering around the apartment, stealing as she saw the lady who used to treat her with kindness and care lying in front of her, without a shred of humanity moving to help her. After finishing everything with cold precision, she wiped away all traces in the apartment, having meticulously planned what she would steal.

Then she cut the wires of the DVR device and took it with her so that no one would see the surveillance camera recordings. Her ex-husband was aware of the crime and helped her sell the stolen goods. Both were very confident that it would be hard for anyone to reach them, and they faced trial, with the least possible sentence they could receive being the death penalty.

It's true that we should assume good intentions in people, but excessive trust is a big mistake. The most important advice is not to hire anyone, no matter who they are, until you know who they are and where they are from, and to conduct a complete security check before they enter your home and learn your secrets. People like Huda are very numerous around us. May Allah have mercy on Dr. Ayda