Image by Darren Pepe

Amraj Poonia, 26, of Farmfield Drive, Horley; Raneel Poonia, 25, of Whitehouse Way, Slough; and Gurditta Singh, 25, of Moreland Avenue, Slough, were formally charged this month in Old Bailey for the murder of Hounslow resident Mohammed Shah Subhani.

The young man, who was going to be a father soon, disappeared and was reported missing by his family on May 7, 2019. However, his body was not discovered until eight months later in a woodland near the M40 in Hedgerley. To avoid him from being found by the police, the perpetrators had moved his phone and car away from the crime scene. The abandoned car was later found by the detectives on June 19 and was covered in bullet marks.

The court was told that even though the cause of death was not confirmed yet, post-mortem reports pointed towards the Heathrow airport employee being tied and burnt on parts of the body.

Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the court that Subhani had acquired about 23 kilos of cannabis and was required to pay for it. In an effort to secure some money, he made an unsuccessful attempt to go to the police station where the money was being held. He was then captured driving along Derby Road around 3pm and then arrived at an industrial estate.

Oakley went on to add, “CCTV on that industrial estate shows that he parked his vehicle outside R & J Plumbing. CCTV makes it clear that he entered those premises shortly afterwards. He’s never seen again. He walked into a trap.”

It is said that Subhani’s body was moved from the estate after he was murdered and was driven to Buckinghamshire.

“It would certainly appear that the body was kept in a vehicle from May 7 until the early hours of May 10, when it was moved to the deposition site. The Crown would submit that at some point the body had been burned.”

On the fateful day of May 7, Subhani’s family were expecting him home after he went for a shopping trip to buy some things for his sister’s wedding which was due to take place on June 16. However, the wedding was cancelled when it became clear that he was missing.

After Subhani’s body was found, his family, including his new-born baby daughter, visited the woodland and laid flowers in his honour.