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Pantin Travel Agent Charged in Colleague’s Killing, Held in Pretrial Detention

The order places the case under a formal judicial inquiry.

Overview

  • The 27-year-old coworker was charged with murder and jailed Wednesday after questioning in Bobigny.
  • Her family raised the alarm when she missed her daily call to her son, and police found Yasmine Zekia Benhebri, 57, hidden in a closet at the Al Hayat Voyages office after three days of searches.
  • Investigators say the suspect joined the searches and even opened cupboards at the agency before his arrest.
  • Phone records showed the victim’s phone last connected at the office, and officers reported that the site had been scrubbed clean.
  • The suspect told police he struck and strangled her after a dispute over money, but prosecutors and his lawyer say key details still rest on his statements pending forensic tests in the new inquiry.