Fifth man charged with murder of Indian-origin delivery driver in UK

London: A fifth man has been charged with the murder of a 23-year-old Indian-origin delivery driver who died after being ambushed by a machete-wielding gang in western England, police said.

Aurman Singh, who worked with Dynamic Parcel Distribution, died on the spot while he was delivering parcels in Berwick Avenue in Shrewsbury on August 21.

Sukhmandeep Singh, 23, from Paynels in Peterborough was arrested on August 31, the West Mercia Police said in a statement.

He was charged with Aurman’s murder on September 1 and appeared at the Kidderminster Magistrates Court the next day, police said, adding that a sixth man remains on police bail after he was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The latest update in the case comes after police arrested and charged Arshdeep Singh, 24, of Tipton, Jagdeep Singh, 22, of Dudley, Shivdeep Singh, 26, and Manjot Singh, 24, both of Smethwick in connection with the murder.

The four accused appeared at the Wolverhampton Crown Court on August 30 and were remanded in custody for trial, which is due to take place in February next year.

Witnesses told the local media that they saw men armed with machetes, baseball bats and a shovel after a car was seen parked up in the area from 11 am on the day of murder.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bellamy reassured local residents those suspected of being involved are not local to Shrewsbury or the wider West Mercia Police area.

“Our investigation is underway with officers carrying out a number of enquiries to establish the circumstances that led to Aurman’s murder,” Bellamy had said.

“We know Aurman was a delivery person however at this stage we do not believe this was the motive for his death and we are not investigating this as a robbery.” Bellamy said that those involved in the crime know each other and are not local to Shrewsbury or the wider West Mercia Police area.

Aurman’s family said in a statement released by the West Mercia Police that there are no words that could ever explain the impact this tragedy has had on them.

“Today a mother will grow old without her son. A sister will grow up without her brother. We don’t want what has happened to us to happen to another family. We would like to thank the police for conducting their investigation diligently and supporting us through this tough time.”