Ranjit Singh Power: Family seeks justice for 'murdered' hotelier

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-34702820

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The family of a wealthy hotelier believed to have been murdered in India say they remain hopeful his killers will be brought to justice.

Ranjit Singh Power disappeared on a business trip to the Punjab region in May and a taxi driver confessed to his murder, local police said.

His family claims others were involved.

Earlier this month a body found in an Indian river was initially thought to be that of Mr Power but DNA and dental analysis ruled out this possibility.

Mr Power's body has still not been traced.

Updates from this story and more from the Black Country

Amrik Singh Power said he believed people with information about what had happened to his brother had yet to contact police.

He said: "What I can't understand is, out of the vast amount of friends and business associates that my brother had, why people aren't standing by me and wanting to come forward."

Mr Power's 82-year-old mother, Gurjit Kaur Power, said she was lost without her son, who she called by the pet name Rana.

She travelled to India with her son Amrik in order to speak to police and "kick-start" the investigation.

"The police were helpful, they said not to worry. But how can I not worry?

"I did it because I want justice for my son - if he gets justice, my heart will be at peace," Mrs Power said.

Ranjit Singh Power, who owned The Ramada Park Hall Hotel in Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, was last seen at an airport in Amritsar, Punjab, on 8 May.

His family reported him missing after he did not contact them for a week.

Sukhdev Singh, a taxi driver, confessed to killing the 54-year-old and divers found a body in a canal in Ropar District.

The body was flown to Wolverhampton after a family friend who identified the body said it was the right height and wore "exactly the same bangle" as the businessman.

The Black Country coroner's office said DNA tests and dental records had proved "beyond doubt" that the body was not that of Mr Power.

West Midlands Police are now liaising with police in India in an attempt to identify the body.

"If we exhaust all avenues, the body will be recorded as 'unknown', an inquest will be opened and social services will deal with it," the coroner's officer said.

West Midlands Police said Mr Power's murder investigation was being led by Indian police but the force was ready to assist if a request was made.