Eight people, including two from Birmingham, have been charged in connection with the investigation
Police officers pictured outside a property in Broad Avenue, Leicester
Police have been using jackhammers to dig up the backyard of a Midlands property at the centre of a murder probe.
Searches are ongoing in relation to the disappearance of 60-year-old Gary Piatek.
Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday (February 13) that it is understood that Mr Piatek was last seen alive on April 18, 2024, when he visited a pub.
The hearing was told that Mr Piatek lived in a property in Broad Avenue, which he inherited from his parents.
Leicestershire Police has been digging in Broad Avenue, Evington, since Tuesday, February 10.
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Residents living in Broad Avenue said drilling and a generator used by police can be heard loudly in the street.
One person said: “They left the generator to their portable station on last night until 11.20pm.
“If I can hear them working from across the street, imagine living next door to it. The neighbours must be suffering.”
There is currently no indication of when the investigation will be complete, LeicestershireLive reports.
Eight people – including two from Birmingham – have since been charged in connection with the investigation.
Two men accused of the murder of the retired 60-year-old who was last seen nearly two years ago could face a trial in October.
Yosif Ibrahim, 43, of Broad Avenue, Leicester, and Omed Firuzman, 25, of Ashley Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, appeared in the dock at Leicester Crown Court on Monday, February 17.
They are charged with Mr Piatek’s murder.
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A trial date was set for October 12 and could last up to eight weeks.
The other defendants charged in connection with the investigation are:
Diar Muhammedy, 34, of Falmouth Road, Leicester, and Mabast Khalid, 21, of Manway Close, Birmingham, who are charged with assisting an offender between April 17 and 25, 2024.
Dilan Rabati, 34, and Ahmed Nabla, 34, both of Broad Avenue, Leicester, are accused of acquiring, using or having possession of criminal property, a house in Broad Avenue belonging to Mr Piatek, between June 1, 2024 and February 10, 2026.
Dalya Rabati, 29, of Frazer Nash Close, Isleworth, London, is accused of the same charge, relating to the property in Broad Avenue and money belonging to Mr Piatek, as well as fraud on January 29, 2025 in which she is alleged to have created a false tenancy agreement for Mr Piatek’s house.
Nazem Kakamando, 50, of Gordon Road, Birmingham, is charged with acquiring, using or having possession of criminal property, which the court heard was a sum of more than £140,000 in cash, on February 10, 2026 and fraud, having allegedly made a false tenancy agreement on January 29 2025.
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