On a quiet August day in 2023, the streets of Shrewsbury bore witness to a brutal and meticulously planned murder that would shock the community and captivate viewers across the UK. Aurman Singh, a 23-year-old delivery driver for DPD, was ambushed and viciously attacked by a gang armed with an arsenal of weapons including a hockey stick, a shovel, an axe, and a bent steel golf club. The harrowing details of this crime and the subsequent investigation are now being brought to light in the gripping BBC Two documentary series Murder 24/7, which premieres on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Aurman Singh was making his usual delivery rounds on Berwick Avenue in the Coton Hill area of Shrewsbury on August 21, 2023, when he was tracked and ambushed by a group of eight men traveling in two vehicles: a grey Audi and a white Mercedes. The attackers, who wore masks to conceal their identities, unleashed a ferocious assault that left Aurman with a traumatic head injury from which he would not recover. Emergency services arrived swiftly after a chilling 999 call at 1:07 PM reported the delivery driver "on the floor" and severely beaten. Despite six minutes of CPR, medics declared Aurman dead at 1:44 PM.
The case, dubbed "Operation Columbia" by West Mercia Police, became one of the most intensive murder investigations the force had ever undertaken. Led by Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bellamy and a team of 45 officers and specialists, the inquiry involved painstaking efforts to piece together the crime. CCTV footage from residents proved crucial, revealing eight weapon-wielding offenders and capturing the number plates of the getaway vehicles. The white Mercedes was found abandoned nearby, while the Audi was tracked via automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to the Black Country, where a lone Staffordshire Police officer followed it in an unmarked car until backup arrived, culminating in a dramatic arrest in Tipton.
Among those arrested were six men ultimately convicted of Aurman's murder: Arshdeep Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Shivdeep Singh, Manjot Singh, Mehakdeep Singh, and Sehajpal Singh. The latter two, both from Tipton in the West Midlands and aged 24 and 26 respectively, were sentenced in April 2025 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years after a three-week trial at Stafford Crown Court. They had fled the UK following the attack, traveling from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton and eventually being traced and arrested in Hohenzell, Austria, in May 2024 after an international manhunt.
Detective Sergeant Mat Crisp of West Mercia Police described the murder as "not a robbery that went wrong, it was planned and Aurman was their sole target." The gang had used inside information from a contact within DPD to learn Aurman's delivery route, lying in wait to carry out the attack. The calculated and brutal nature of the crime was underscored by the weapons used—Mehakdeep wielded a hockey stick while Sehajpal used a shovel, among other implements. The judge presiding over the trial emphasized the meticulous planning and execution of the murder, highlighting that Aurman was "completely unaware" and "defenceless" during the assault.
The investigation also revealed that the motive for the killing remains somewhat unclear. Prosecutors suggested that the murder may have been an act of revenge linked to an incident at a kabaddi tournament in Derbyshire the day before the attack, but this was never definitively established. The BBC series offers viewers a detailed, minute-by-minute account of the investigation, including the extensive forensic work, the gathering and analysis of phone records—one suspect’s phone alone yielded 141,000 pages of calls and messages—and the painstaking interviews with suspects, many of whom offered little or no comment.
The documentary features harrowing footage, including the 999 call reporting the attack, and bodycam videos from the crime scene. Witnesses described the aftermath with chilling clarity; one neighbour recounted seeing Aurman lying in a puddle of blood with his eyes "fixed open, it was like someone just pressed 'stop'." The series also captures the emotional toll on the police team, especially DCI Bellamy, who described the case as a "beast of a job." The investigative process, with its relentless pursuit of justice, is portrayed with unflinching honesty, showing the complex and often exhausting nature of murder inquiries.
In addition to the six convicted murderers, Sukhmandeep Singh was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to ten years for his role as the "inside man" who provided critical information from within DPD. The combined sentences for the initial five men convicted in 2024 amounted to 122 years, reflecting the gravity of the crime and the coordinated effort behind it.
The impact of Aurman Singh's death resonates deeply with his family and the community. A family statement released after the sentencing expressed profound grief: "There are no words that could ever explain the impact this tragedy has had on me and my family. Today a mother will grow old without her son. A sister will grow up without her brother. We don’t want what has happened to us to happen to another family. We would like to thank the police for conducting their investigation diligently and supporting us through this tough time."
While Murder 24/7 offers a sobering look at the realities of violent crime and the dedication of law enforcement, it also raises questions about the nature of true crime storytelling. The series delves deeply into the mechanics of the investigation but offers limited insight into the personal lives and motivations of those involved, including Aurman himself. Critics have noted that despite the detailed depiction of the crime, the human story behind the tragedy remains somewhat elusive.
Nevertheless, the series stands as a testament to the extraordinary teamwork and compassion of the West Mercia Police officers and staff who, amidst heartbreaking circumstances, strive to bring justice. Chief Constable Richard Cooper described the series as offering a "powerful and unfiltered look at the extraordinary teamwork and compassion shown by our officers and staff in the most heartbreaking of circumstances."
For viewers, Murder 24/7 is more than just a true crime series; it is an unvarnished window into the painstaking work behind solving some of the most harrowing crimes, including the tragic death of a young man whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence. The first three episodes, including the detailed examination of Aurman Singh's murder, are available on BBC iPlayer, with new episodes airing on BBC Two at 9 PM.
