They thought he bought fuel, but then the MZP arrived: the killer's mistake in the Inbal Amram case

Retired Deputy Commissioner Avi Neuman returns to the night of Inbal Amram's murder nearly 20 years ago. The car was only located in the morning, after family members begged for help at the police station. Investigators initially thought the killer bought fuel to set the car on fire, but it turned out he siphoned fuel from the car itself. The case led to a change in the procedure for handling missing persons in Israel.

Retired Deputy Commissioner Avi Neuman returns to the night of Inbal Amram's murder, nearly 20 years after the event. Inbal left around midnight to pick up her sister, but never arrived. Family members searched for her on the streets of Petah Tikva, and eventually arrived at the police station, where they were told she was an adult and might return. Only in the morning was her phone located in the Tel Aviv area, and a helicopter spotted the car near the Glilot junction. Inbal was unconscious inside the vehicle, and later her death was determined. Investigators initially thought the killer bought fuel at a station to set the car on fire, but it turned out he siphoned fuel from the car's own tank. The killer, Muhammad Ja'idi, tried to steal the car, a struggle ensued, and he stabbed Inbal. He fled to the territories, was caught in Qalqilya, and was convicted of murder. The case led to a change in police procedure for handling missing persons: now an investigation is opened based on circumstances, not on time elapsed. Neuman estimates that if the police had acted earlier, Inbal might have been found alive.