German court charges woman with murdering Instagram lookalike in fake death attempt

Shafaq News/ A German court has charged a 23-year-old woman of Iraqi origin with the murder of a woman who resembled her on Instagram in an attempt to fake her death.

According to The Guardian, the case began when authorities initially believed that the woman, known as "Shahraban," was the victim of a murder. The body of a young woman was discovered in a Mercedes car parked in Ingolstadt, southern Germany, last August, drenched in blood. Many of Shahraban's family members also believed that the body was hers.

However, questions arose about the victim's identity due to an unrecognizable tattoo. The victim was later identified as Khadija, a 23-year-old fashion and beauty blogger of Algerian origin living in Heilbronn's neighboring state of Baden-Württemberg. The two women had strikingly similar appearances, with long black hair and similar skin. The Guardian reported.

Prosecutors have charged Shahraban not only with murder but also with attempting to hire a hitman to kill her brother-in-law. She allegedly offered 10,000 euros and paid an advance of 5,000 euros to a man to carry out the killing, but he took the money without following through. Shahraban has reportedly confessed to the charges about a year after the crime occurred and will appear in court to face them.