Indian family slain in bid to create drugs front: London court

Three generations of a family of Indian origin were abducted and murdered in an elaborate plot to turn a successful import-export company into a drugs front, a court in London was told Tuesday. Entrepreneur Amarjit Chohan, 46, vanished from his home in west London in February last year along with his wife Nancy, their two children and his mother-in-law.
Chohan's body was found dumped in the sea at Bournemouth, southern England, in April 2005, followed a few months later by those of his wife and mother-in-law. The remains of the children are still missing.
Three men went on trial Monday for their murder, with the spotlight at the Old Bailey criminal court on Kenneth Regan, 54, who was arrested in Belgium last August.
It is alleged that Regan, a convicted drug dealer, murdered the family in order to seize control of Chohan's firm CIBA Freight which he intended to use as a front for smuggling drugs into Britain.
Setting out his case, prosecutor Richard Horwell told jurors Tuesday that it was "obvious" when Chohan's remains were recovered that he had been "restrained" during his ordeal.
"He had been gagged with packing tape. Furthermore, a urine sample revealed an unusually high level of gammahydroxubutrate, a drug more commonly known as GHB, which can be used as a sedative," Horwell said.
Though it was unclear where exactly Chohan and his family were held, it was possible that they had been detained in Regan's home in Wiltshire, southern England, where the front room was subsequently redecorated.
"Wherever he was held, he (Chohan) was forced to sign a number of documents and blank sheets of paper," the prosecutor said.
"He was also forced to record a number of voice messages in an attempt by his captors to placate and reassure his wife and friends."
The prosecutor continued: "While imprisoned, Mr Chohan signed a number of documents relating to his freight company, CIBA Freight. These were to be used by Regan to convince staff that he had handed over the business."
Blank pages were recovered later - blank apart from Chohan's signatures at the bottom, Horwell told the jury.
Co-accused with Regan are William Horncy, 52, of Bournemouth, and Peter Rees, 39, of Portsmouth. All three men deny the charges against them.
Their trial continues. If convicted, they face life in prison.