By Cara Sulieman, Shaun Milne & Rory Reynolds
A MUM of two found dead in the bathtub of her Edinburgh home was murdered, detectives said tonight.
Randa Kamblawi, 34, was found at her Nicolson Street flat on Tuesday morning sparking a wave of police activity.
Sources said she was found lying on her side, completely submerged in water, and officers were greeted by a scene described as “complete chaos”.
As revealed by Deadline yesterday, Lothian and Borders Police are looking for her husband Yahya Babiker.
Sudan
The pair married in the town of Karima in northern Sudan in September 2002 and moved to the city shortly after.
The security guard, who is in his forties and originally from Sudan, has been missing since shortly before his wife’s lifeless body was discovered.
Locals said they understood he had dropped off the couple’s two young children, Mohammed aged five and Tagwa, three, with relatives in Edinburgh and has not been seen since.
Friends of the family in the Sudanese community in Edinburgh said they had also tried to reach Mr Babiker but were unable to get hold of him.
A team of 20 officers were working on the case and spent much of today doing door to door inquiries and going through bins at the city centre address.
The results of a post mortem inquiry later confirmed that Randa – an English language student – had been murdered.
Saleh Safi, 54, who runs the Jordan Valley wholefoods shop below the flat, said that he was “shocked” by what had happened.
He said: “I did not know Yahya that well, but I had met him a few times and he always seemed like a kind, gentle man. I am very surprised by what has happened.”
Murder
And one neighbour in the flats, who did not want to be named, said: “It has been quite exciting having the police around – but now that they’ve said it’s murder it’s another story.
“I don’t feel very safe now – you never expect this to happen in your own building.”
Yesterday specialist crime scene investigators wearing white coveralls combed the flat and stairwell for clues to the killing.
A fleet of police vehicles were still parked in the rain swept street today while officers with clipboards were stationed at the entrance to the tenement.
People coming and going had to sign in and out while quizzical passers-by stopped randomly to ask what had happened, recoiling in horror when told.
Officers trawled shops, cafes and bars seeking CCTV images that could help them to pinpoint the location of Mr Babiker who police described as being “significant” to the inquiry.
The six foot tall dad of two, who was described as having short dark hair with a small bald patch on top, was known to frequent local internet cafes and food stores.
Neighbours said he had been acting “strangely” on the morning he disappeared and had “blanked” them rather than offering his usual friendly greeting of hello.
Search
Police said he had been sporting a distinct moustache reaching from one end of his mouth to the other and had been wearing a dark fleece, dark hat, and light coloured trousers when he was last seen.
This evening Chief Inspector Tony Beveridge, who is co-ordinating the search for Mr Babiker, said they were “concerned for his well being” following the death of his wife.
He said Lothian and Borders Police were “working hard to maximise forensic recovery” at the scene having had to force their way into the house around 1.30pm after being alerted by a relative worried for her safety.
He confirmed Randa’s body had been found in a bath, but revealed she had also suffered serious head wounds, and said: “We were called to the address at 1.30pm. Entry was forced to the address and we found the body of a 34 year old woman.
“We’ve established so far that she did have some serious head injuries, obviously we’ll have a full inquiry to establish what the circumstances were.”
He added: “Randa is a 34 year old woman from the Sudan and has lived in Edinburgh for between five and 10 years and had lived at that address for several years with her family.
“We were contacted by a member of Randa’s family who was concerned regarding her welfare.
Concerned
“That’s why we ended up going to the house. They hadn’t heard from her and were concerned.
“She had two children and they are being cared for by family in Edinburgh just now.
“In relation to this incident we are keen to speak to Randa’s husband Yahya Babiker.
“He was last seen in Edinburgh in the early hours of the 20th October.
“If anyone has seen Randa’s husband we’d be very keen to speak with them or if they’ve received a call or text message in the last 24 to 36 hours.”
