Detectives suspect Mohammed Shah Subhani, 27 may have got out of his depth in drug dealing

Police investigating the suspected murder of a 27-year-old man have discovered his remains in a wooded area in south Buckinghamshire, more than 15 miles from where he lived.

Mohammed Shah Subhani, known as Shah Khan, from Hounslow in west London, disappeared seven months ago and police fear he may have ended up “out of his depth” in cannabis dealing, possibly falling into debt to criminals after he lost a courier job.

The Metropolitan police have made eight arrests in connection with their investigation but have not yet charged anyone in relation to the death. Detectives say they have encountered a “wall of silence” from people who may have information.

Police said the discovery of his remains marked a significant development in the case. Officers continued to search the area surrounding Hedgerley Lane, off the A40 between Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross.

“I believe that Shah’s discovery is something that his killer(s) were confident would never happen and, while the worst possible news for his loved ones, it presents a significant springboard for our investigation,” said DCI Noel McHugh, who is leading the investigation.

A stolen black BMW X5 with cloned plates was seen in the area of Hedgerley Lane in the days after Shah disappeared on 7 May and had since been recovered by police in Hounslow, McHugh revealed.

He said the relatively isolated area in which Shah was found would be known to only a small number of people and not visible to passing motorists.

“The wooded area has evidence of spent shotgun cartridges. These are not connected to Shah’s death but I would be keen to speak to people who use this area, particularly on or after 7th May.”

The victim’s sister, Quirat Subhani, said the family had believed he would return alive, and the discovery had broken their hearts.

“We kept our faith high and believed our beloved brother will return,” she said. “It broke our hearts and shattered our world when we were told Shah’s body was discovered in an abandoned woodland 15 miles from home.

“Someone maliciously killed the apple of our eye, turned our world upside down and dumped him in an isolated woodland for his body to decompose and for us to be left with nothing but his bones. This will haunt us for a lifetime.”

She added: “Someone must know something … they must come forward and help us get justice for Shah. Our hearts will never heal but what our brother does deserve is for justice to be served.”

Shah visited Acton police station on the day he disappeared, apparently under the mistaken belief that he would have £3,800 returned to him. It is believed he may have had a set of number plates restored to him and two mobile phones.

He then travelled to a business premises on Derby Road in Hounslow where he was due to collect £5,000. His white Audi Q3, thought to have been driven by Shah, arrived mid-afternoon and left about half an hour later. It is believed he was not driving the car then and Shah was not seen to leave the premises.

The vehicle was subsequently moved to Camden, north London, on false registration plates and was found with ballistic damage more than a month later, triggering the initial murder investigation. McHugh ruled out the possibility that Shah was in the car at the time it was shot at.

“It is my assessment that those who handled Shah’s car after his death were involved in this shooting incident, which is unconnected to his death,” he said. “We never recovered any weapons or had any reports of persons injured.”

He made an impassioned call for information and said a reward of £20,000 remained on offer for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved.