Six arrested after woman's body found dumped in Laayoune riverbed

Moroccan police have arrested six people, including a minor, in connection with the death of a young woman whose body was found inside a plastic bag along the banks of Oued Saguia El Hamra in Laayoune, authorities said Saturday.

In a statement, the Laayoune Police Prefecture said officers from the Anti-Gang Brigade, working in coordination with Morocco’s domestic intelligence agency, the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), arrested six suspects between the ages of 17 and 38.

They are suspected of involvement in intentional assault resulting in death, complicity, failure to report a felony and public intoxication.

The investigation began in the early hours of July 27, after authorities discovered the victim’s body near the riverbed, prompting a large-scale forensic and criminal investigation under the supervision of the public prosecutor.

Police said field investigations, forensic examinations and technical analyses led to the identification and arrest of the suspects.

According to the preliminary findings, the victim had been attending a drinking gathering with several people when an argument broke out between her and the main suspect. Investigators allege the dispute escalated into a violent physical assault that resulted in her death.

Police said the suspects later transported the victim’s body in a small three-wheeled vehicle, locally known as a “kwayr,”before abandoning it along the banks of Oued Saguia El Hamra in an alleged attempt to conceal the crime.

The public prosecutor ordered the adult suspects into police custody, while the minor was placed in a juvenile detention facility pending further investigation.

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing to locate the driver of the vehicle allegedly used to transport the body and identify any additional individuals who may have been involved in the case.