The son of Belgrave jeweller Ramniklal Jogiya has told a jury of his family’s anguish during the hours between his unexplained disappearance and the discovery of his body in a secluded country lane.
Milan Jogiya gave evidence yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court, where four men are on trial charged with his father's murder. Mr Jogiya was bundled into a van as he locked his shop, Vama Collections, for the day on the evening of January 24 this year.
His son Milan was the first family member to go to the shop when his father failed to return home. He told the jury that the family were expecting his dad to arrive home, as was his habit, before 8pm. However, when he had not arrived by 8.30pm, the family grew worried.
Mr Jogiya ran down to the shop and found it in darkness. With no sign of his father, he searched the ground and first floors of the building. More friends and relatives arrived as concern spread.
The group then reviewed the shop’s CCTV and saw a figure in a burka enter the shop, before leaving after a short time. The prosecution alleges this was one of the four defendants, Thomas Jervis. The trial continues.
