Three men have been found guilty of the killing of Ramniklal Jogiya, a prominent jeweller in the east Midlands city of Leicester, who was kidnapped, tortured until he gave codes for his shop and safe, and killed on January 24.
The gang spent weeks planning to rob the safe in Jogiya’s shop in the city’s Belgrave Road. The killing worried Indian-origin businessmen in the area that has witnessed attacks on business establishments in recent years.
Belgrave Road is the hub of Indian and Asian business, and a key centre for Indian culture in a city that saw a large migration of Indians expelled from Idi Amin’s Uganda in the 1970s. They have since rejuvenated the city and region’s economy.
Following a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Thomas Jervis, 24, Charles Frances Mcauley, 20, and Callan Reeve, 20, were found guilty of manslaughter. All three defendants were remanded into custody and will be sentenced on September 10.
The Leicestershire police said that on the evening of January 24, the three kidnapped Jogiya, 74, as he walked home after having locked up his shop for the night. After bundling him into a stolen van, they attacked and forced him to hand over the keys to his shop.
He was then tortured until he told them the shop’s alarm de-activation code and the combination code for a safe. But despite their meticulous planning, they did not realise that the safe was on a 12-hour delay, and they could not get into it.
{{/usCountry}}He was then tortured until he told them the shop’s alarm de-activation code and the combination code for a safe. But despite their meticulous planning, they did not realise that the safe was on a 12-hour delay, and they could not get into it.
{{/usCountry}}Jogiya was then dumped and left to die in the countryside.
David Swift-Rollinson, detective who led the investigation, said: “Rarely have I investigated a crime so wicked and ruthless. The depravity, inhumanity and utter contempt they showed for their victim has caused untold anguish for his family and stunned the whole community”.
“The only possible comfort left for the family is that the people responsible for this terrible crime will now be locked up for a very long time.”
Jogiya’s family paid tribute to their father in a statement: “Our father was a true gentleman. He was kind, friendly, loyal, unassuming, generous and well-respected in his community. Dad loved his music and his films and he was a craftsman--a karigar”.
“He was affectionately known by our family as Mota Bhai - big brother - not just because he was the oldest but because he was big-hearted. Dad was taken from us before his time, but for him, we will always remember the happier times and he will forever live on in our memories and in our hearts”.