Two killed by gunmen

from the Newham Recorder

A man and his nephew were brutally gunned down in a Forest Gate alleyway in broad daylight following an attack on their parked van.

Amarjit Singh, 52, and Raginder Singh, 35, were killed in Atherton Mews.

The uncle's 26-year-old daughter watched in horror but escaped unharmed.

The murdered pair ran a number of successful local businesses – one being the Forest View Hotel in Romford Road that backs on to the alley.

The attack on the van – which belonged to Amarjit – may have resulted from an earlier argument over a parking space, said police. The victims entered the mews at about 2.20pm on Friday via the hotel's back gate to confront three noisy vandals, said head of Newham CID, Det Chief Insp Bob Davidge.

They were then shot and the suspects ran off into Norwich Road and towards Romford Road and Margery Park Road, say police.

A post mortem held at East Ham mortuary on Saturday revealed that both victims, who lived in Lambourne Road, Chigwell, died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

The two men were each married with two children. The family have owned the successful hotel for about ten years. Amarjit was known locally as Mark and Raginder was known as Raj.

They both have other businesses in Forest Gate. Mr Singh and his nephew both lived in a three-storey home surrounded by three acres of grounds. The property, which has an electric gate, is believed to house three generations of the Singh family.

Forensic experts revealed that a machine pistol was used in the killings. They found ten shell casings, indicating the ferocity of the attack.

The murder investigation is now being led by Det Chief Insp Dick Langley.

Local resident, Saeed Ahmed, 58, witnessed the incident taking place. He said: "I was standing on the street and heard three shots. I saw three men who covered their heads with hoods running off.

"I then saw two bodies lying in the road. One was the hotel owner – he died straight away with a gunshot to the head or throat. He was with his nephew who was pressing his stomach. It took him about half an hour to die."

Some neighbours believe the deaths could be payback for the two men waging war on prostitutes and drug dealers that use the area at the back of the hotel to ply their trade. "The nephew used to clear them out all the time, because there are always prostitutes and dealers using the alley, especially over the last two or three months," said one resident.

The dealers and prostitutes have been targeted by police in the past. But detectives are not sure at this stage if there is a link to the murder.

Police are appealing to anyone who has information to contact them on 020 8345 1570.