Avian flu back in the news; woman tries to sneak gun into Egyptian Museum
CAIRO: Crime journalists, over the past week, have had their work cut out for them. The crime pages of the local newspapers were packed with reports of various types of crimes.
A quarry incident in Sinai warranted special attention, as explosives were the object of the theft. In the light of preexisting threats of terrorist attacks in Sinai, the incident aroused a great deal of attention. Within 24 hours, police forces managed to regain the explosives and to arrest one of the two thieves 7 km from the quarry. The second thief is still at large.
Al-Wafd newspaper reported a renewal of fear over avian flu, which had been out of the news for quite some time. Due to suspicion of avian flu infection, 2,000 chickens were slaughtered in Al-Khanka, Imbaba, Al-Sayeda Zeinab and Zeinhom.
Al-Mesaa newspaper also reported that 1,600 inedible chickens were slaughtered in an operation in the famous commercial streets of Al-Mosky and Al-Ataba. The same campaign found 1,000 Ramadan lanterns of unknown origin and 1,650 kilograms of expired nuts and dried fruits.
Al-Mesaa also reported that a stolen car was returned to its owner 20 minutes after the initial theft. Apparently, this wasn’t due to the efforts of police, but rather a trademark of the thief.
One of the stranger incidents this week was also reported in Al-Mesaa newspaper, a 44-year-old woman apparently suffering from mental illness attempted to enter the Egyptian Museum with a gun in her bag, setting off the metal detector. Three bullets for the gun were also found in her handbag.
Murders also made the news this week. A watchman killed a man in an argument over the price of a mobile phone. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that a baker had killed his wife because he couldn t afford to divorce her, as the process required more money than he had expected. He lost control when she mocked him for not being able to divorce her and killed her on the street. A similar murder was reported in Al-Masry Al-Youm when a man killed his wife because she didn’t obey his order not to appear in photos at a wedding.
Al-Menia saw its share of fights and traffic accidents this week. Al-Mesaa newspaper reported that 13 had been wounded in a gunfight. In other news, a priest’s funeral turned into six funerals when five died and 17 were wounded in a traffic accident while following the funeral.
In Qalyoub, an ex-police officer was accused of possessing drugs and counterfeit currency.
Another incident took place in Maadi. A woman accused the guard in her building of stealing her dogs. The woman and the guard had argued because he claimed that he couldn’t sleep due to the dogs’ barking and then the woman woke up one morning to find her dogs gone.
Celebrities were also in the news this week. Two thieves were sentenced to two years in jail for stealing from famous singer Nancy Agram’s hotel room. They stole four diamond watches, four diamond earrings, three diamond collars, three diamond rings, two Visa cards and $5,000.
One of the most poignant incidents took place in Cairo. A young man committed suicide because he couldn’t find a job. He left his mother a note apologizing because he couldn’t say goodbye.
