Promise Ndlovu died after being held at a building in Leicester as “security” in a scam deal with a group of Africans, the jury heard
A FORMER Premier League ace’s brother-in-law was killed and dumped in a car park following a dodgy land deal which went wrong, a court heard.
Promise Ndlovu died after being held at a building in Leicester as “security” in a scam deal with a group of Africans, the jury heard.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Mr Ndlovu – a relative of ex- Birmingham and Coventry City striker Peter Ndlovu – was killed after being held at a building in Leicester as “security” against his will until the deal was finished.
But the deal, to buy and develop a plot of land, allegedly “went sour” and resulted in the death of Mr Ndlovu.
Yesterday Kehar Hayer, 56, went on trial accused of the manslaughter of Mr Ndlovu on October 29 last year.
He is also charged with conspiracy to commit false imprisonment and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Kuldeep Singh, 37, faces the same three charges.
Ramandeep Dhaliwal, 34, is charged with conspiracy to commit false imprisonment and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Bikramjeet Singh, 27, and Kulwinder Singh,20, face the same two charges. All of the men, from Leicester, deny the allegations against them.
Opening the case, Prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones QC said the two groups of men had entered into an agreement last October.
He told the court that four “African” men, including Mr Ndlovu, met businessman Kehar Hayer and builder Ramandeep Dhaliwal in Leicester on October 26 last year.
The meeting took place at Kapitol Building – a property which Hayer co-owned and where Dhaliwal had offices.
The African men had with them a bag full of “black paper”, cut to look like bank notes.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said this was a “black money scam”, a ruse in which conmen claim that black paper can be turned into cash by the addition of a chemical.
He said this would form the African men’s buy-in part of the deal, as the amount of cash realised after the addition of the chemical would be far greater than the £15,000 the Leicester men were to pay for the black money.
As part of the scam, the chemical is added to a real note that has been dyed and comes up looking genuine, while the rest of the black paper is useless.
The con is only realised when the people who buy the black paper and chemicals try to turn the useless dyed notes into cash.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said Dhaliwal went to London with £15,000 and one of the African men to buy the chemicals.
Meanwhile, Mr Ndlovu stayed behind at the building with Hayer, who was joined by Bikramjeet Singh, Kulwinder Singh and Kuldeep Singh.
In London, Dhaliwal and the African man in his car were joined by another man.
When they both left, Dhaliwal realised his £15,000 had been stolen from him, the court was told.
It was claimed that Dhaliwal relayed this information to Hayer and minutes later Mr Ndlovu was dead and his body was dumped in a car park.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said that Kuldeep Singh and Hayer had admitted to police they grappled with Mr Ndlovu shortly before his death.
A 999 call was played to the jury in which Mr Ndlovu pleads with police to rescue him.
He says: “They are keeping me in this building. They don’t want me to go outside.
“I don’t know the building. Help.”
At least one other male voice is audible, some comments are heard in Punjabi. Mr Ndlovu screams repeatedly and then the line goes silent.
Mr John Lloyd-Jones added: “By the time Mr Ndlovu called 999 he knew full well he was being detained against his will.”
The case continues.-The Sun
