Police seize four in hunt for carjacker who killed driver

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Police hunting the killer of a garage owner who was stabbed to death for his Mercedes swooped on four men in east London today.

Two were seized in Clayhall, near Ilford, yards from where Harjinder Bhurji was killed. Two more were detained at other addresses.

The 32-year-old suffered a fatal chest wound after a masked man pulled his female friend from his black Mercedes CLK coupé and knifed him yesterday. The carjacker sped off in the vehicle.

Three men aged 17, 19 and 20 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and were being questioned today. A fourth man is being held for handling stolen goods, in a separate matter.

Mr Bhurji, from Ilford, was the owner of local firm R & J Motors and was described as head of his family.

His best friend Gurmit Birdi, 32, spoke of his shock and grief and told how the victim was due to be best man at his wedding in India in November.

Mr Birdi, a BA cabin crew member from Ilford, said: "He was a very nice person, he never did anything wrong. He lived his life and enjoyed his life. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"For his family and friends this is just unbelievable. God knows what his family is going through."

Mr Bhurji's uncle Narinder Shargill, who flew from San Francisco to be with his relatives, told of his shock at the "senseless" crime: "My sister got married two weeks ago so the entire family was here from all over the world. It was a time of joy and celebration. Two weeks later to be in a state of mourning is incredible. We can't imagine something like this would happen."

Mr Bhurji was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime in Stoneleigh Road, Clayhall, after police were called at 1.10am yesterday. His friend was uninjured but in shock.

The car, registration number R4 JXW, was found at 2.45am abandoned about three miles away in Forest Glade, Chingford. Murder squad detectives want to hear from anyone who saw the vehicle driving between the two locations, possibly driving at high speed.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Rickells, leading the inquiry, said: "The suspect appears to have been purely motivated by stealing the car because at this early stage we can find no other obvious motive. As far as we can tell the victim did not know the suspect."

A post-mortem examination was being held today at East Ham mortuary. Anyone with information can contact police on 020 8345 1570, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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