By Adam Dutton & Monica Charsley
Shocking footage showed the moment armed police brought down an evil gang who murdered a DPD driver whilst he was working on a residential street.
Aurman Singh, 23, was brutally attacked by four men as he delivered parcels in broad daylight in Coton Hill, Shrewsbury, on August 21 last year. The driver was beaten to death with an axe, shovel and hockey stick. Doorbell footage recorded Arshdeep Singh, 24, Jagdeep Singh, 22, Shivdeep Singh, 26, and Manjot Singh, 24, as they fled the scene in two getaway cars.
The group were caught after police spotted them throwing their weapons in the bin. They planned the twisted attack after they were leaked inside information on the driver's delivery route, officials said. A police drone filmed the defendants being arrested as a dog team and armed officers surrounded their grey getaway Audi. The other vehicle was a white Mercedes.
It was earlier reported that the inside man, Sukhmandeep Singh, was arrested a few days later in Peterborough. Four of the gang were found guilty of murder after a six-week trial at Stafford Crown Court. Sukhmandeep Singh, 23, from Paynels in Orton Goldhay, was found guilty of manslaughter.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bellamy, of West Mercia Police, said: “The attack on Aurman Singh was planned and organised by a group of men who armed themselves with weapons and used a level of violence that can only suggest they intended to kill him.
"They used inside information to pick a location where they knew he would be and lay in wait before carrying out the brutal attack in broad daylight. We are incredibly grateful for the support from local residents and those who provided vital information to assist with our investigation and gave evidence in court.”
In a statement, Aurman's devastated family said: "There are no words that could ever explain the impact this tragedy has had on me and my family. We don’t want what has happened to us to happen to another family. It is an unbearable loss for us which has changed our lives.”
Neighbours previously spoke out about the tragedy. One man, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "I got back home ten minutes after it happened and saw the man's body covered by a sheet in the street. My first concern was for my neighbours, young families were locking themselves in their homes until we knew what had happened.
"It's awful that something this tragic can happen on our wonderful little estate. I have lived here 26 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. It's just indicative of the world we're living in at the moment." Another woman commented: "I just know a young man has been killed while going out to work to earn a living and that's just terrible."