The Abduction and Murder of a Dutch Millionaire that Shocked the Netherlands

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It was the early morning on the 9th of September 1987. A 45-year-old unemployed engineer drives a stolen Fiat from his home to Bloemendaal, a town 35 minutes away known for its villas. After all, Bloemendaal is the wealthiest place in the Netherlands. He wears a fake moustache, glasses and a beret. His coat is draped over a sawed-off gun that rests on his lap. When he reaches his destination, one of the villas in Bloemendaal, he parks his car on a nearby parking lot and takes up a position near the entrance of the estate. His target, Gerrit Jan Heijn own this villa. Nobody realises it yet, but one of the longest, most shocking and sensational abductions and murders in the history of the Netherlands is about to commence.

Gerrit Jan Heijn was a Dutch businessman. Together with his brother Albert, he was the executive of Ahold, a Dutch international retailer. The company started in 1887, as the grandfather of Albert and Gerrit opened the first Albert Heijn grocery store. During the 1970s the company expanded internationally and under the management of Albert and Gerrit the company became a Dutch household name as the largest grocery chain in the Netherlands. It’s safe to say that the unparalleled success of the Heijn brothers led to them becoming some of the wealthiest individuals of the entire country.

Back to that fateful early morning on the 9th of September. Gerrit Jan Heijn leaves his villa and wants to take his Audi to his dentist appointment. As he enters his car, the man runs from his hideout, opens the other car door and takes place on the passengers’ seat. He targets his rifle at Heijn, threatening him and telling him to start the car and drive. When Heijn passes the stolen Fiat the duo leave the Audi, take place in the smaller car and drive off. The man now orders Heijn to drive to woods in another Dutch province, nearly 2 hours away. When they arrive, they spend quite some time walking through the secluded Dutch nature, and Heijn is forced to record several tapes asking for ransom. At a certain point, Heijn attempts and fails to escape his captor when he tries to flag down a large truck that passes by a road. The truck doesn’t stop, and Heijn is again at the mercy of his captor.

At around 9:30 pm his captor orders him to drive towards Renkum, a municipality even further in the eastern Netherlands. He tells Heijn that in the woods nearby an accomplice will stand at the ready to take him over and guard him. The unsuspecting Heijn follows his captor into the woods. When they are at a secluded spot the captor brandishes his gun, quickly slips on the silencer and executes Heijn without warning.

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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:53 The abduction
3:14 Police investigation
7:00 The capture

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