- 4/28/2025
Murder Scene The Incident Room S02E03 Killers at the Corner Shop
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00:00The incident room is the heart of any major police inquiry.
00:07I am going to leave absolutely no stone unturned.
00:12Vicious attack, stabbed multiple times.
00:15It doesn't stand a chance.
00:16A place where evidence is gathered.
00:18I saw the car, saw the group.
00:21We had DNA, we had blood at the scene.
00:25The evidence was overwhelming.
00:27Suspects identified.
00:30In my view, he was the last person to see Jayden alive.
00:33We're coming after them, we're now on a manhunt.
00:36Keep your hands out, alright? I've got a taser, okay?
00:38Murderers interrogated.
00:41I'll be honest with you, I don't give a **** away at shit.
00:45He's involved not only in her disappearance, but a murder as well.
00:48And cold-blooded killers brought to justice.
00:51£1500 to travel from Manchester to shoot somebody dead.
00:56This is murder scene.
00:58The incident room.
01:04Tonight, a robbery goes wrong.
01:07Please, watch your place, watch your emergency.
01:09Can you hear me, please?
01:10Help it's convenient, sir.
01:12I feel like robbing them.
01:14There's nothing everything up now.
01:17Leads to the murder of an innocent shopkeeper.
01:20And a massive manhunt to catch the men who killed him.
01:33Oh, we need an ambulance to get a chance.
01:35We need an ambulance to get a chance.
01:39My name's David Purvin.
01:41My name is David Pervin, and I investigated murders for more than 26 years.
01:57This is Gamal Singh. He's 63 years of age, very jolly man, and he helped everyone that came in contact with him.
02:16On Saturday evening, he was bludgeoned to death.
02:19The offenders abused extreme violence. I need to know who they are, and I need to get onto them and arrest them as quickly as possible.
02:35In my efforts to identify these offenders, I am going to leave absolutely no stone unturned.
02:44I am doing this for the family of Gamal Singh.
02:51With a team of around 60 detectives, the incident room is open.
03:06The attack took place at Mr Singh's corner shop.
03:09It was battered around the head with a hammer.
03:11Clearly a robbery gone wrong.
03:12Witnesses made affronting. 999 call.
03:15Please. Yeah, we need an ambulance.
03:17This close-knit community is in complete shock.
03:21When a murder happens, recovering evidence and tracing witnesses quickly is critical.
03:31We were in the pub, having a few drinks, and then from time to time we'd go out and have a cigarette.
03:49The shop door opened.
03:51I heard the bell tinkle.
03:53Now in this area, it's quite unusual to see youths with their hoods pulled up,
03:57and I shouted to them, I said, what are you doing?
03:59And they started running.
04:00So that made me set my arm bells in my head that something was wrong.
04:09Two men have fled, but there are still two in the shop.
04:15So I went to the door, and I could see two people behind the counter,
04:19and all I could see was they were doing kind of that.
04:23So I'm assuming they were pulling cigarettes out or whatever.
04:26So I grabbed over the door, pulled the door short, and I turned around, and I shouted,
04:31phone the police, they're still here.
04:32David holds the door shut with all his strength to trap the two offenders in the shop until police arrive.
04:45By this time, I turned back, and one of them was there at the door, and he was screaming and shouting.
04:52Anyway, I had the door really tight, and I would not let it go.
04:55We're locked in. In the shop.
04:57Next minute, he reached into his lapel like that, and I thought to myself, oh my God, what's he got?
05:04I thought it was a gun.
05:07Turned away, and I heard the window go.
05:13Myself, I thought, have I been shot?
05:14I kind of looked.
05:15I was in disbelief, you know, and then I seen his hand come down again.
05:22And he had a lump hammer, a short nose-stubbed lump hammer.
05:26The offender tries to smash the window to escape, but turns for the back door instead.
05:32It's unlocked.
05:35Next minute, I heard, they're out, they're out, they're running.
05:38Get out, get out!
05:41We're running down the mark now!
05:43I went into the shop.
05:52And Mr. Singh was, like, laid on his back.
05:55And as I looked behind him, I could see a puddle of blood.
06:01After that, I just had pneumonia.
06:06When he's an ambulance, I don't know what the previous kid is.
06:09It's an old man.
06:10One of the first people on the scene is the shopkeeper's own son.
06:17There was a few people around the door.
06:21I went in, saw him on the floor, and I knew it was serious, straight away.
06:26Just by the condition that he was in, I knew it was very, very serious.
06:34I remember cradling his face on his head and talking to him while he was on the floor and
06:46just saying, I'm here, I'm here.
06:49But he wasn't communicating.
06:51And then just waiting.
06:55Waiting for the ambulance to turn up.
06:57Waiting for the ambulance.
07:00They couldn't step the foot flow.
07:12This time now is very important.
07:18you need to get all the evidence that you can get right at the outset because tomorrow
07:28that evidence may be gone we need to identify and arrest the murderers
07:35not going to stop until you've done it detectives rush to the crime scene
07:49including deputy si o jonathan hoyle
07:56it's what they call the golden hour
08:00we secure and preserve whatever we can evidentially
08:08otherwise it may be lost forever
08:10the premises were ransacked
08:14shells overturned
08:18glass everywhere
08:23there's a lot of blood inside the premises
08:37splatterings up against the wall where mr sing had been attacked
08:42this was an extreme case of a robbery gone wrong
08:53it was chaos
09:00in the early hours gmail singh loses his fight for life
09:19the incident room is now hunting men with the motive to murder
09:31detective superintendent david pervin gives the team his initial assessment
09:40for men who've gone into the store and attacked gmail
09:49our suspects run from the shop down the road
09:56back in the store there's blood pooling near to the counter where gmail singh would normally
10:05stand and there's blood pooling further to the back of the store
10:10the hard work starts now
10:21with brutal murderers on the loose
10:24the team urgently needs to turn up evidence
10:29i don't want these guys on the street
10:31any longer than is necessary
10:34they create a danger
10:36we need to absolutely nail them
10:47police are searching for the killers of a 63 year old shopkeeper bludgeoned to death in a botched robbery
11:06they are on the hunt for men they believe to be extremely dangerous
11:16in huddersfield
11:17shopkeeper gmail singh has been murdered in a brutal attack
11:21the murder inquiry team is under pressure to identify the four men who fled the scene
11:28we have about 60 specialized homicide detectives on the case
11:34they're leaving no stone unturned in an effort to identify who these four offenders are
11:41ground zero for the investigation is the crime scene
11:47the hunt for evidence begins here and spreads out to the surrounding streets and fields
12:02witnesses help the team to plot the route taken by some of the suspects as they fled the scene
12:16detective constable john lee is one of the officers scouring the area for any evidence
12:21i knew what i had really well because i brought there as a kid
12:24so it made sense for me to be on that job because i knew all the local areas
12:30the witnesses seen him run down the back of the bowling club
12:36there was quite a big field at the back
12:39we walked down this field and we found this jacket
12:46it contained cigarettes and sweets from mr singh's shop
12:54we can link that to the shop
13:00and if we can link it to one of the individuals
13:06well then we're in business
13:23the shop where gmail met his death
13:26had been the center of his and his family's life for the past five years
13:31a lot of these it's the first time i've seen these so yeah
13:37most of the pictures he's smiling in
13:39yeah
13:40yeah
13:42i have to nick some of these for a minute
13:48it was a community shop
13:51people would pop in
13:53sometimes if he was busy stacking the shelves etc
13:55they'd just leave the money on the counter
13:57so in terms of cameras we never needed them
13:59we wouldn't have shoplifters because we'd know
14:0490% of the customers we'd know
14:06well the ironic thing about that was he had trouble the week before
14:18two days before
14:20the murder of gmail singh
14:22he's attacked and robbed in his shop
14:25he'd been at this store for five years
14:29he'd never had any problems
14:31and just in this week
14:33he has
14:35two robberies
14:37i think he was more upset about being pushed than something being stolen
14:43but it was that sense of right and wrong why why he's stealing for
14:47the shop was a soft target
14:52how can this be that
14:54he's robbed twice in two days
14:56how can they not be connected
14:58i must identify
15:00locate and arrest
15:02those two
15:03from thursday night
15:13he was known as a real community figure
15:15someone who would deliver in a sledge in the snow to keep customers happy
15:21the murder has horrified the general public
15:24many neighbors tried to stop the attackers on the night but they couldn't prevent them getting away
15:31the attackers are now being sought in connection with mr singh's murder
15:37and the intense media coverage surrounding the case gives detective superintendent pervin an opportunity
15:45i need to make an appeal urgently
15:47i need to ask the community of hoodersfield to help this investigation
15:59when something like this happens the people watching it on our programs tend to want to help
16:04so if there's something out like an appeal for whoever did this to somebody as has happened to gmail singh
16:10they want to do their very best to find who did it
16:14david can't know for sure the two robberies aren't connected
16:21but he knows he wants to speak to the two men who robbed the store earlier that week
16:26publicly saying they are implicated in a murder investigation
16:30might flush them out
16:33in the appeal i'm going to say
16:36that i believe
16:38the robbery incident on thursday
16:40is connected with the murder
16:42anyone
16:44anyone
16:45there was any information
16:47or suspicions
16:49that will assist the investigation
16:51should continue to contact the police
16:54and share that information
16:56they know who they are
16:58the spotlight is already directly upon them
17:01and i call on them
17:03to do the right thing
17:05and hand themselves in
17:07before we knock out your door
17:09and arrest you
17:15those involved in the robbery on thursday
17:19you can imagine what they were thinking
17:21they've been involved in a robbery
17:23and now the sio is saying
17:26i believe you're involved in a murder
17:29and they turn themselves in
17:31they fully admit they robbed the shop two nights before
17:36but provide a solid alibi
17:39they were nowhere near cowcliffe
17:41the night kamail singh was murdered
17:44without doubt
17:47the two committing the robbery on thursday
17:50are alibi
17:52for the fact that they could not have committed the murder
17:55what i can do now
17:57is concentrate on the four offenders
18:00that the witnesses
18:02did see on saturday night
18:03the search goes on for the hard evidence that will bring convictions
18:17i want to find something that will tie those offenders in
18:23forensically
18:25something that will put them in that store
18:29when the mercy was murdered
18:30there is no obvious sign of a murder weapon at the scene
18:36one suspect had a hammer
18:41but there's no clear evidence it was used in the attack
18:48we don't at this stage have any dna
18:52we don't have any fiber
18:54we don't have any fingerprints or footprints
18:57but what we do have
18:58are lots and lots of glass fragments
19:05the detectives believe they do have a motive
19:11a robbery gone terribly wrong
19:16the offenders have grappled violently with gmail singh
19:20smashing bottles and overturning shelves
19:22and overturning shelves
19:33the forensic pathologist tells me
19:36that gmail singh has been struck
19:39at least six times to the back of the head
19:43possibly seven or as many as nine
19:46witnesses had seen suspects holding a hammer
19:49but the coroner's report suggests that the murder weapon could in fact
20:00be lying in pieces on the shop floor
20:02the offenders have taken bottles off the shelves
20:04and they've battered gmail singh with them
20:11what he's certain of is that there is no indication
20:22in the skull injuries
20:23that an injury has been caused by a hammer
20:28with a hammer ruled out the glass could be the missing piece of the jigsaw
20:36the murder weapon was in fact one of gmail singh's own wine bottles
20:41in the forensic lab
20:45scientists can identify the exact bottle the shards came from
20:49fragments of it could prove vital in catching the killers
20:55we're getting closer
20:59but we know the level of violence that these use on gmail
21:12they're on the loose
21:17they could do this again
21:20men who attack in this way
21:24will present fear to the whole community
21:29the police have to bring them in
21:32before four desperate men harm someone else
21:36or go on the run
21:38police are looking for four men they believe are connected to the murder of shopkeeper
22:00gmail singh in the cowcliffe area of huddersfield
22:02detective superintendent david pervin and his team are investigating the cold-blooded murder of shopkeeper gmail singh a beloved member of the community
22:17this particular murder
22:22was an absolutely ferocious and senseless killing
22:27the killers transport could provide the clue the team are looking for
22:32officers scour the area but turn up empty-handed
22:36it's imperative detective superintendent pervin knows how these men traveled to and from the crime scene
22:47the use of taxis by criminals is quite widespread
22:54the team investigate the many taxi companies that serve the huddersfield area and examine the fares taken the night gmail was murdered
23:05one particular taxi firm
23:07one particular taxi firm was far town taxis
23:12one of the drivers
23:17remembered
23:18taking
23:19four young lads
23:21up to cowcliffe stall
23:23on saturday evening
23:25around
23:278.28.25pm
23:29the perfect time for the four offenders
23:38that murdered gmail
23:45alongside the huge public appeal
23:48police are leaving no stone unturned
23:51in trying to identify the suspects
23:54and the detectives know
23:56there is one usually silent group
23:59that will have information
24:01the criminal underworld
24:11a useful tool often deployed in murder investigations
24:16is the use of chisers
24:18or in common parlance
24:20snouts
24:22chisers
24:25chisers
24:26or covert human intelligence sources
24:29are criminal informants
24:31they have a unique insight into local illegal activity
24:35and will offer to help police
24:37in exchange for cash
24:39or to undermine a rival
24:41payments vary
24:43from a few pounds for basic information
24:45up to several thousand
24:47for helping break up organized crime
24:50you always have to be extremely careful
24:54when you're dealing with chis information
24:57one about the identity of the informer
25:01but two about the information that they're giving
25:05it may not be reliable
25:14intelligence officers from the incident room
25:16reach out to their contacts
25:19saying they need names fast
25:23detective superintendent pervin
25:25has to tread carefully
25:27to avoid putting the informants in danger
25:29any information that's received
25:34via that route
25:36has to go into the intelligence cell
25:39which is kept separate
25:40and locked away from the main incident room
25:44to protect the identity of the individual
25:47and the information that's being provided
25:51and one criminal informant
25:53offers up a revelatory piece of information
25:56they said
25:58you need to be looking at this group of people
26:00we think
26:02they may have committed the murder
26:04we got a number of nicknames for the suspects
26:16one was nicknamed crazy
26:19the intelligence cell come up with a name
26:24the first name that we've got for a potential suspect
26:28his name is Aslam
26:31Umar Aslam has no previous convictions
26:35and is not known as a sophisticated criminal
26:38but informants soon reveal
26:40he is friends with people with a more chequered history
26:43and we come up with
26:46Nabeel Shafi
26:48Muwaz Khalid
26:51Rehman Apsal
26:53all of the other members of Aslam's circle
26:57are known to the police for theft and violence
27:00these are four
27:02these are four murders
27:04but detective superintendent Pervin
27:07knows if he brings them in
27:09he has to have enough evidence
27:11to make sure they aren't simply put back on the streets
27:13we have names
27:18and we have their addresses
27:21but we've only got 24 hours
27:2524 hours in which
27:28if arrested
27:30they have to be charged
27:32or released without charge
27:34I've got limited forensic
27:37I need more evidence
27:40I need more time
27:43but time is not on his side
27:46the intelligence cell comes forward again
27:49with information from another informant
27:52the information is
27:54that two of this group
27:56are going to fly to Pakistan
27:59we have a no agreement
28:02with the Pakistan authorities
28:04to return offenders to the UK
28:06if they're gone
28:07it could be years
28:10before we bring them back
28:12to face justice
28:18SIO David Pervin
28:20is waiting for results from the forensics lab
28:23but the intelligence
28:25that two of the gang are planning to flee
28:27forces his hand
28:29we need to make sure
28:31as best we can
28:33that when we kick a door in
28:34those suspects are going to be behind that door
28:45we have to coordinate
28:47and get all the suspects
28:49at the same time
28:51DC John Lee is a tier 5 interviewer
29:06that means he's qualified not just to interview the most serious criminals
29:12but also to take control when multiple suspects are going to be interrogated
29:17interview is all about preparation and planning
29:22as a tier 5 interview advisor you're gathering all the information together and you're keeping everybody in the picture
29:37plus when you've only got 24 hours of initial to interview
29:39John can't risk anything going wrong
29:47he sends the suspects to separate police stations across Yorkshire to be interviewed
29:53he tried to move them in different locations
29:56more than I am at different police stations
29:58saw that there's no chance of any information being leaked between each other
30:02because people do shout down this old corridor to each other and things like that
30:04With the suspects in the cells all being interrogated they can't disappear to Pakistan
30:15but they are saying nothing
30:18David sends specialist search teams to each of their homes
30:22We need to find evidence within each address that will connect each offender with the murder of Gamal Singh
30:38and particularly looking around fragments of glass that may have been on their clothing when they committed the murder
30:53or has been deposited in their own bedrooms
30:57We've ripped up the carpets
31:00We took all of their bedding
31:02and we took all of their clothing
31:05and we took all of their clothing
31:09The clock is running down
31:11Who will crack first?
31:13With only a few hours left in custody
31:16the suspects start to talk
31:19Each one of them
31:21was admitting
31:23going to the storm
31:25Each one of them
31:27starts to blame
31:29the other
31:31But none of them
31:32are admitting
31:34bludgeoning
31:35Gamal Singh
31:42It's always good
31:43when they are talking
31:47If they're talking
31:48and blaming other people
31:49it's even better
31:51Admitting being part of the gang at the scene of the murder
31:55is enough for them to be charged with robbery
31:57and remanded in custody
32:01But more will be needed
32:04if they are to be convicted of Gamal's murder
32:07While the police search for evidence
32:11Gamal is laid to rest
32:14in a traditional Sikh funeral
32:16The number of people attending
32:18shows how much the vicious attack
32:20has affected the local community
32:22While the police search for evidence
32:25Gamal is laid to rest
32:27in a traditional Sikh funeral
32:29The number of people attending
32:31shows how much the vicious attack
32:33has affected the local community
32:34The deer was just an outpouring
32:46There were thousands here
32:53A lot of them probably didn't even know my father
32:55because of what they'd read and what they've heard
32:58I think they just felt obliged to come here
33:01and pay their respects
33:03So it was...
33:04It was humbling
33:12People even outside that couldn't even get in
33:14It was that busy
33:16Not just the Sikh community
33:17but from across the board
33:19There were Muslims here
33:20There were Christians here
33:22Every different race and religion were here
33:24just to pay respect to a good man
33:25A trial is set for the men to face the robbery charge
33:38in September 2010
33:40But the Crown Prosecution Service
33:42is worried there is still insufficient proof
33:45that they carried out the murder
33:47The suspects are remanded in custody
33:49David now has six months to look for the evidence
33:52that will convict them of the murder of Gamal Singh
33:56In these investigations
33:59I'm looking for motive
34:02I know that's robbery
34:04I'm looking for opportunity
34:06Can they commit the offence?
34:08David needs to place them
34:10at the scene of the crime
34:13Officers set to work
34:15trawling thousands of hours of CCTV footage
34:17Counter-terrorism CCTV
34:22Recovered camera footage
34:24stills, videos
34:27from in and around Huddersfield
34:36The CCTV footage showed us
34:38the offenders met together
34:40in Huddersfield town centre
34:41in the hours before the murder of Gamal Singh
34:46Giving them the opportunity
34:52to travel to the store
34:56and commit the murder
34:58The CCTV also turns up a huge piece of evidence
35:03that might tell him who actually committed the murder
35:06the murder
35:08We recovered this jacket
35:11in the field
35:13below the store
35:15When we review the CCTV
35:18from Huddersfield
35:24One of our offenders
35:26is wearing that exact jacket
35:28The jacket was dropped by one of the men
35:32trapped in the store by eyewitness David Singh
35:34David Singh
35:36Its owner was one of the two
35:38who spent longest at the crime scene
35:40trying to smash their way out
35:43David Pervin has the murderers in his sights
35:46It's crucial he now finds the final evidence
35:50to prove it beyond all doubt
35:54CCTV might be that killer evidence
35:56Detectives have arrested the individuals they suspect are responsible for the murder of Gamal Singh
36:07A 63 year old shopkeeper killed by repeated blows to the head during a botched robbery
36:10The incident room at Huddersfield police station is investigating a robbery that turned to murder
36:25Detective Superintendent David Pervin has four suspects in custody
36:28They all deny killing Gamal Singh
36:29They all deny killing Gamal
36:31David needs to put together the pieces to make sure a jury puts them behind bars for good
36:34The tireless CCTV troll by counter-terrorism officers comes up trumps
36:35The tireless CCTV troll by counter-terrorism officers comes up trumps
36:37C3
36:39The tard from a t1
36:41The c64
36:57Till the camp
37:03A female came forward who was in Malachi's restaurant in the town centre, who informed
37:19us that she'd overheard a conversation between two young men, which suggested to her that
37:26they'd been involved in the incident.
37:29That witness has overheard them talking about beating up a man earlier in the evening.
37:36I believe they're talking about murdering Malachi.
37:42From that restaurant, we would try and track those people.
37:47They were seen to visit the Onion Cinema.
37:53Entering Tesco supermarket, going to the toilets to swap clothing.
38:07They swapped and changed clothing.
38:10They're trying to fool us.
38:11They're changing clothing, they're changing appearance.
38:15It's more damning evidence.
38:17We now have clear movements and association between the group, both prior to the murder
38:26and subsequent to the murder.
38:29It corroborated the intelligence that the individuals were likely to be responsible.
38:44SIO David Pervin now has hard evidence that could convict his suspects.
38:52Opportunity.
38:53Yes, they're in the vicinity.
38:56Preparatory steps.
38:59They get the taxi to the store.
39:04Motive.
39:08Robbery.
39:10And subsequent actions.
39:16They're smashing everything up now.
39:22They run away from the store, having committed a murder.
39:26They meet up together in Huddersfield.
39:32They're swapping clothing.
39:34They're trying to clear their tracks.
39:40David now knows the exact movements of the four men.
39:45And has images that implicate them in murder.
39:49But he's still not sure of a conviction.
39:52In September 2010, six months after Gamal Singh was murdered, 20-year-old business student
40:10Murwaz Khalid, 18-year-old Nabil Shafi, A-level student Rayman Afzal, also 18, and 20-year-old
40:20crazy Umar Aslam finally stand trial at Bradford Crown Court.
40:29They all deny murder.
40:39It's a painful process for David Singh, still affected by witnessing the murder of a respected
40:45community figure.
40:46I was classed as a chief witness.
40:49They had their own barristers.
40:51And each barrister quizzed me to be questioned by somebody.
40:59And for the first time to ever be in a Crown Court was tough.
41:02You know, they can ask you many questions, they can dress them up any way they want.
41:07The answer's still going to be the same.
41:09Which is the truth.
41:11With no CCTV in the shop, the prosecution cannot definitely prove who it was that wielded the
41:21lethal blows.
41:24Forensics cannot provide any smoking gun evidence.
41:27There were still some questions unanswered for the family.
41:33They wanted to know specifically who caused Gamal's death.
41:44What part each took in that murder, how many blows, how many strikes on Gamal.
41:51Those answers were never given in court.
41:58Raymond Afzal and crazy Umar Aslan, the two men who had left the shop first, were convicted
42:05of robbery but cleared of killing Gamal Singh.
42:08Afzal is sentenced to five years and four months, while Aslan receives six and a half years.
42:18The jury ruled that Mawaz Khalid and Nabil Shafi, who were locked in the store by David Singh,
42:24were guilty of murder.
42:27Khalid has to spend at least 21 years in prison.
42:31Shafi receives a 20 year minimum sentence.
42:36It was joint enterprise by the group and certainly the two who were trapped in the store.
42:42The jury, the judge, were happy that they subsequently committed the murder.
42:50If they'd have served their full sentence, as they still are now, they will still be 40
42:56years of age or there or thereabouts when they come out.
42:59Mr. Single's still be dead.
43:01So, is there a justice there?
43:04It's for the individual to make her mind up, isn't it?
43:07For Gamal's family, they're left to reflect on how their father was murdered in the corner
43:24shop he loved.
43:25My dad liked to come up to Castle Hill, normally with family and with friends.
43:33Probably have a pint at the pub at the same time.
43:41You don't come to terms with it, you just do the best you can.
43:46Supporting each other as a family, supporting who you can.
43:54When days are difficult, they're more difficult.
43:58And then days, when we've got days of joy or celebration, they're not as joyous.
44:06Within Sikhism, there's a word called SEPA, which is just to serve and to help.
44:10And I think that was very much part of him and his well-being.
44:16They got the equivalent of 70 pound, 70 pound for a man's life.
44:25I was satisfied that we identified and arrested and gained convictions.
44:33I don't think you're ever satisfied, no matter how long a sentence is given, that that is
44:39appropriate for causing the death of a person in this way.
44:46And then we'll see you again soon.
45:10You
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