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Jordi Magraner
(1967-2002)
Jordi Magraner, 35, the famous Spanish zoologist and cryptozoologist
who has been conducting field research for 12 years on the barmanu (wild man
of N. Pakistan) has been found assassinated in Pakistan. He was killed (his throat
was cut) on Friday, August 2, 2002, in his house in the north of Pakistan, along
with his 12-year-old servant. The primary suspect allegedly is one of his local guides.
A friend discovered the body and alerted the police and Magraner's family.
Magraner had been on the track of barmanu, (which means "the big hairy
one"), in Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, using strict scientific methods
in his witness interviews. He was encouraged to undertake this adventure by the late
Bernard Heuvelmans.
Magraner's findings were intriguing and hopeful. For example, from 1992 through May
1994, during his trek to the Shishi Kuh valley in the Chitral region of Pakistan,
his expedition investigated the barmanu and found footprints. Jordi Magraner,
Dr. Anne Mallasseand, and another associate, all Europeans, said they also had heard
two series of unusual guttural sounds that could have been made by a primitive primate
voicebox. They tracked down witnesses who claimed to have seen the horrible smelling
animal that made the sounds. According to the expedition leaders, eyewitnesses asked
to choose among various images of mystery primates, most often selected pictures
of the Minnesota Iceman to describe what they had seen.
Further barmanu seeking expeditions into Pakistan and Afghanistan occurred
throughout the 1990s up through 2002. Jordi Magraner was to return to France in September
2002. The cryptozoological and hominological communities are in shock.
His paper "Oral Statements Concerning Living Hominids: Analysis, Criticism,
and Implications for Language Origins," can be found here: http://www.n2.net/prey/bigfoot/biology/jordi.htm
Michel Raynal's site on Magraner is: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cryptozoo/personalia/magraner_eng.htm
-Loren Coleman
Appreciation to Jean Roche and Michel Raynal for information.
Photograph of Jordi Magraner taken by himself, with permission to reproduce by Michel
Raynal.
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Daily News
Gulberg II, Lahore
Pakistan
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Six arrested for Spaniardís murder
Funeral to be held in Kailash Valley
PESHAWAR: Police on Monday arrested six suspects in connection with the murder
of a Spanish researcher and his servant in a northwestern valley.
ìThe suspects are all residents of the area,î local police officer Pir Azam said.
The Spaniard, named by his family in France as Jordi Magraner, according to police,
was found dead on Friday night in a house he was renting in a village near the town
of Bumburate in Chitralís Kailash valley.
The police said Majranerís throat had been slit with a sharp weapon.
His 12-year old servant, Wazir Ali, was also found dead with his throat slit. Another
domestic employee, Asif Ali, 20, an Afghan refugee had disappeared, they said.
The police suspected the missing Afghan might have slipped into neighbouring Nuristan
province in eastern Afghanistan, which is just four hours away by foot.
The police said efforts were under way to track down the missing Afghan, who they
believe could help the investigation.
Majraner had been on a 12-year mission to track down the so-called snowman, locally
known as ìbarmanoî, which is said to be found in the mountains of Chitral, police
and residents said.
According to the police, they received a faxed message from his brother, Andrew,
asking the funeral rites be performed by Majranerís friends in Kailash, as the researcher
had stated in his will. A three-day funeral ceremony had begun in the Kailash valley.
ñAFP
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Daily News
Gulberg II, Lahore
Pakistan
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Spanish researcher killed in Chitral
PESHAWAR: A Spanish researcher and his young servant have been murdered in Chitral,
police said Sunday.
Majraner Federico was found dead in his home in a village near the town of Bumburate
in the Chitral valley on Friday night, police officer Fazle Elahi told AFP here.
His throat was slit with a sharp edged weapon, the officer said quoting a forensic
report.
Elahi said Federicoís 12-year old servant, Wazir Ali, was also found dead with a
cut throat while another employee, Asif Ali, 20, an Afghan refugee was missing.
He said police had been trying to track down the missing Afghan who they believe
could help the investigation. ñAFP
The News International, Pakistan
Monday August 05, 2002
Jamadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1423 A.H.
Spanish national, servant killed
By Shah Murad Baig
CHITRAL: A Spanish national residing in Kalash valley of Chitral district was allegedly
assassinated along with his local servant in Bamborit last night, police and local
Kalash people said.
Jordy, the only name locals knew about him, who was residing in Karakar village of
Bamborit valley for the last 13 years, was found dead along with his Kalash servant,
Wazir Ali Shah, inside his residence. Another servant of the deceased foreign national
told the police that Mr Jordy and his servant Wazir Ali Shah had been slaughtered
at night inside the house, which was otherwise, a restricted area for locals.
Local Kalashis said that Jordy was living in the valley in the hope of meeting the
mythical snowman one day, which they said, did not happen but resulted in loss of
his own life. One of his Afghan servant, Asif Nooristani, is missing since the assassination
of the Spanish. Police believe that the involvement of people close to Mr Jordy could
not be ruled out. So far no arrests have been made while the police took the bodies
of the slain persons for autopsy and filed the double murder case against unidentified
assailants.
Jordy was fond of horses and different breeds of dogs, including some of the violent
species. Police said that dogs performing duty as watchmen during the night were
drugged by the assailants before committing the crime.
Jordy had widely travelled and recently returned from a month-long journey to some
undisclosed country, locals said. He was fluent in speaking Kalashi, Chitrali and
Pashto languages and had rented a house for the last so many years.
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The Nation
Monday August 5, 2002,
Jamadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1422
Lahore Karachi Islamabad Multan
Pakistan
Front Page
Spanish researcher murdered in Chitral
PESHAWAR (AFP) - A Spanish researcher and his young servant have been murdered
in Chitral, police said Sunday. Majraner Federico was found dead in his home in a
village near the town of Bumburate in the Chitral valley on Friday night, police
officer Fazle Elahi told AFP here.
His throat was slit with a sharp edged weapon, the officer said quoting a forensic
report.
Elahi said Federicoís 12-year old servant, Wazir Ali, was also found dead with a
cut throat while another employee, Asif Ali, 20, an Afghan refugee was missing.
He said police had been trying to track down the missing Afghan who they believe
could help the investigation.
Federicoís body is being flown to Islamabad by helicopter, and then will be taken
by plane to his hometown in Spain, police said.
The 35-year old Spaniard had been on a mission to track down the so-called snowman,
locally known as barmano, which is said to be found in the mountains of Chitral,
which borders Afghanistan.
Police said Federico had been pursuing his mission for the past 12 years. He used
to frequently visit the area and stay in a rented house in a village in the picturesque
Kailash valley, some 40 kilometres from Chitral, police said.
Another police officer, Sultan Shah, said the Spaniard had arrived on Thursday, about
a week after he was asked to leave Chitral late last month over complaints by locals
that he was allegedly preaching Christianity.
ëHe was advised to leave the area in the interest of his own security,í Shah said.
Kailash valley located at an elevation of 1,128 meters is a favourite of mountaineers,
anglers, hunters, naturalists and anthropologist.
The Kailash Kafir tribe known for wearing black robes is one of the attraction in
the valley.
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el Periodico
Spain
August 5, 2002
Assassinated in Pakistan
A Catalan investigator who looked for yeti
The NEWS Of the DAY/
Last hour 19:48 hours
Peshawar. - - The Catalan zoologist Jordi Magraner, who has spent last the 12 years
in Pakistan looking for a man of snows local, known like barmano, in the valley of
Kalash, was found the past Friday dead by hurt of thrusting weapon, presumably caused
by one of his employees, according to has informed the independent agency of the
news NNI. Magraner, of 35 years of age, used to cross the jungle of Chitral and certain
regions of Afghanistan in search of the barmano. With him two Afghan refugees worked
and a young paquistaní of 12 years, that was found dead next to him. One of
these employees, Shamas ur Reham, was the one who discovered the corpse in its dormitory
and warned the police, that it suspects that his other employee, Asif Alí, of
20 years, is the author of the murder. The body of the investigator was transferred
in helicopter to Islamabad, from where it will be repatriated Spain. A police official
has explained agency France Presse that had asked the Spanish investigator who left
Chitral by the complaints of the villagers, whom they accused to him to preach the
Christianity. "Then it was requested to him that it left the aerial one by its
own security", indicated.
-- Agencies
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News Network International, Sunday, 4 August 2002
Pakistan
A Spanish found dead
CHITRAL, August 04 (NNI): A Spanish searching for "Snow man" was stabbed
to death by his local servant, accused managed to escape after committing crime.
According to detail, a Spanish, Mage John Judi, residing in a local hotel in Kalash
valley with his servant for the last 15 years.
Mr. Judi often wandering in the jungle of Chitral and Afghanistan in search of "Snow
Man" and employed two Afghan and a local national to help him.
Shamas-ur-Reham, one of his servants reported police station that Mr. Judi was stabbed
to death with knife in his bedroom. Police has taken the dead body into custody and
started investigation.
Police source said that his visa was expired from the last several weeks and he was
residing illegally and was involved in some mysterious activities. He was also served
with notices to leave the country.
Police further disclosed that he has kept several pet animals including horses and
dogs and his house was furnished with sophisticated communication equipment and no
body was allowed to go near his residential areas.
It is believed that he used to go to Afghanistan by his horses and had dubious links,
due to this he has many foes and one of them might kill him for his alleged activities.
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