RENYA, 14 February 2006 — Police have found a large number of decomposed bodies in Renya province, some 350 kilometers south of Taif, over the past few months, increasing security fears among residents, Al-Watan reported.
At least 29 decomposed bodies were discovered by the police in the past seven months in this otherwise quiet region. The bodies have been found in relative proximity to one another, with their faces covered. Tire tracks have been found near some of the bodies, indicating that they may have been dumped.
Initially, police suspected that the bodies might be of illegal immigrants who got lost when traveling through remote areas to avoid detection by authorities. The area has agriculture, which tends to attract migrants for work. Locals in this remote region occasionally find bodies of wanderers that get lost in the desert. The causes of the deaths still remain a mystery. Police and locals suspect foul play.
Muhammad Al-Subaie, 90-year-old resident of Renya province, said that he never heard in his life about of these many bodies discovered in such a short time. He said that in the past it was normal to discover one or two bodies in the desert in one year.
“For the number to reach 29 in less than seven months is something strange and alarming,” said Al-Subaie.
Muhammad Al-Farraj, resident, talked about how his children discovered a decomposed body while playing near a mountain.
“My kids told me about a human skeleton found between the mountains. When I went there, I saw the body of a man covered with a sheet. He might have died while asleep and it might have happened last winter. I notified police who arrived and took care of the body,” said Al-Farraj.
Police have divided the area into four main areas and began intensive search for more bodies using a helicopter from the fire department. Police was able to discover eight decomposed bodies in three days.
Abdul Kader Muhammad, a Bangladeshi worker in the province, said that many people are afraid to leave their homes after the news of bodies in the desert. They do not trust strangers anymore and do not take free rides with people they do not know.
“Once, police asked us to go with them to finish a job,” said Muhammad. “They took us to a place between the mountains where two bodies were discovered. We had to carry these bodies inside the police car to a local hospital. These bodies were covered with blood.”
People in Renya believe that there is a criminal cause behind the death of most of these people because it is impossible that all of them died as a result of thirst and hunger. People are urging police to move fast to solve this mystery.
