ALMERE - With his cool black Opel Antara with black-gray 20-inch rims, he left his home at Picassostraat 24 in Almere on Sunday evening, Oct. 19. But René Karamatali (29) did not return alive. Last week he was found: murdered and hidden away in a sewer pipe under a cobblestone road on the Poortmolenstraat. Two witnesses, who have not yet been traced by the police, tell The Telegraph that they saw the perpetrators: three men, including a tall blond guy, digging in the evening darkness. "You immediately saw that it was no good. "Employees of a sewerage company stumbled upon the mortal remains of the Almeerder last Thursday afternoon. There had been complaints of a blockage and a heavy sewer smell. When they stuck the nozzle into the sewer, they made the gruesome discovery: René Karamatali, who had been placed on an international wanted list by his distressed family. The detectives had to tear up the entire street and reroute the sewer system to get to the lurid contents of the thick sewer pipe. The detectives left the dead man lying in the sewage for long periods of time in order to quietly conduct trace evidence under a white tent and behind screens of black plastic. "I walked across that manhole one day before," says a local resident, who walks his sheepdog daily. "Nearby is a pumping station, from which there is often a sewage smell. But this time the smell was stronger and seemed to come from the street."
Surinamese-born René Mohamed Nizar Karamatali was a striking figure, bodybuilder type: powerful build, short black curly hair, striking sideburns and a ring beard, earring in left ear and striking scars and birthmarks. Since two years he ran private detective agency and security company 'René Security', first from his home at the Jol 24-22 in Lelystad and later from his expensive rented house at the Picassoweg in Almere.
His company's website is now down, but in old pages Karamatali claimed to have worked as a security manager at various companies and hotels. He outlined his very young company as "a nationally renowned security company." "René Security is customized security where customer focus and professionalism are key," according to the company's brochure. The security company had a special permit from the Justice Department to operate. It also claimed to operate a one-man agency business.
The murder victim said that his company was an approved training company with trade organization Ecabo, which allowed him to train security guards. When he registered with the Chamber of Commerce, he had '45 employed persons' listed, in short: the picture was painted of a successful company. But in reality Karamatali was in financial trouble, in fact for the last two years. Creditors regularly came to his door, including just last summer. And shortly before his disappearance, he made some credit applications from his office and home on Picasso Road. That house was completely cleared out last week. From the bare floors and walls, nothing reminds one of the murder victim. "His wife cleared out the entire house on St. Martin's Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11, so even before he was found. She could no longer afford the rent, and is now living with an aunt. She was terribly upset by his disappearance," said a neighbor. Ex-customers of Karamatali stress that he did a lot of business with security company 'Bensecurity', also based in Almere. Customers received invoices from this company through Karamatali. "The whole Karamatali family works at that company, including a brother," said a neighbor.
Local residents are baffled by the sewer murder. "How could they have gotten him into that sewer? That road and the underlying sewer were built six years ago," said one local resident, who lives directly opposite. That mystery is being solved by two witnesses, traced by The Telegraph, who have not yet been interviewed by the 30-strong detective team.
"I saw three men digging at that little pumping station. It stood out terribly, because it was in the evening dark. And they were by no means workmen. Nor were they wearing work clothes, like overalls or something. I think they were driving a blue Opel Vectra," says one witness, who works nearby. Another Almeerder, who also drives past the 'murder sewer' every day, says: "It was a dark station wagon, possibly an Astra. It was probably a Monday night, around eight o'clock, that I saw those men digging there. It was strange, you felt it wasn't right. They were definitely not employees of a utility company." According to sources, Karamatali was good friends with 49-year-old Brian Armand Stein, a martial artist who has been missing since Oct. 14, 2008, five days before Karamatali's disappearance. Stein was last seen by a friend in Amsterdam at 11:30 p.m. that Tuesday. He was in possession of a rental car, a gray Peugeot 206 with Dutch registration number 85-XF-JS. Stein has a tattoo of an eagle on his chest and on both arms a tattoo of a peacock with flowers, according to the Amsterdam-Amstelland police. On Surinamese Internet forums, there is much speculation about the disappearance cases: according to forum members, the murder of Karamatali is part of three murders/disappearances: "René was a mattie of Brian Stein, who also disappeared without a trace recently. And his brother also went missing 2 years ago, also found dead five months later. Makes you think, doesn't it? Unfortunately for their friends and family, they are suffering. Brian still hasn't been found and neither has his car. I think it's all getting a little scary."
René Karamatali's Opel Antara, with registration number 98-XV-VS, has also not yet been found by police.
