Mohammed Shah Subhani: Man jailed for life for killing former friend

Mohammed Shah Subhani's killing has been described as "treachery and betrayal" by his family

A man was branded a "cowardly animal" as he was jailed for life for killing a former friend and dumping his partially burnt body in a shallow grave.

Amraj Poonia had ambushed Mohammed Shah Subhani, 27, at R&J Plumbing in Hounslow, west London, in May 2019.

Mr Subhani's body was rolled up in a carpet to be transported to woodland where it was burnt and buried.

Later the same day, Poonia went to the Subhani family home in Hounslow and acted as if nothing had happened.

The case was initially treated as a missing persons inquiry before a murder investigation was started and possible suspects identified.

The breakthrough came about six months later when an individual, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, walked into a police station, admitted taking part in the disposal of Mr Subhani's body and named the killer.

The Subhani family have visited the woodland where the body was found

Mr Subhani's badly decomposed body was found miles away in woodland in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.

The Old Bailey was told that Mr Subhani was killed at the Poonia business after falling out over a kilo of cannabis that went missing after it was given to Amraj Poonia for safe-keeping.

Associate Mohanad Riad had recruited two local drug dealers to help stage a fake theft but suspicions erupted into incidents of violence in the weeks before the killing, jurors heard.

Amraj Poonia, 28, from Horley, was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice and has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.

His brother Raneel Poonia, 26, from Slough, was jailed for seven years for perverting the course of justice.

Riad, 23, from Hounslow, and Mahamud Ismail, 27, from Brentford, were found guilty of the same offence and jailed for two years and five-and-a-half years respectively.

In victim impact statements, Mr Subhani's family condemned the defendants as "cowardly animals".

His sister Iqra Subhani said her brother had been robbed of his life "in the most cowardly and heinous way by his so-called friends".

His father Gul Subhani described his son's murder as "pure evil", adding the thought of his son's body being rolled into a carpet and set alight "makes our skin crawl".

Mr Subhani's partner Thelma, who was pregnant with their child when he was killed, told the court: "He was my best friend and confidante all in one."

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