A man accused of murdering his wife 'moved her body, with the help of his brother from Cardiff, from Prego Pizza to a grave they dug,' a court has heard. Nezam Salangy, 44, of Austin Road, Bromsgrove, is charged with murdering his 28-year-old wife and mum-of-two Zobaidah in March 2020.
His younger brothers - Mohammed Yasin Salangi, 33, and Mohammed Ramin Salangy, 31 - who live together at Adamscroft Place, Cardiff are charged with assisting an offender, as reported by BirminghamLive.
The three are on trial at Worcester Crown Court.
The prosecution alleges Prego Pizza owner Nezam Salangy and his brother Mohammed Ramin Salangy buried Zobaidah Salangy on March 28 into March 29, 2020.
Jurors were shown a series of CCTV footage from homes and business along the route between Prego Pizza in Austin Road, Bromsgrove, to Copyholt Lane, Lower Bentley, which show a light coloured car heading out at just after midnight and returning at just after 3am.
Nezam and and Mohammed Ramin are also placed along the route and at the burial site area by mobile phone data, according to police.
The jury were told two men had returned from Copyholt Lane to Prego Pizza at around 3am for around 20 minutes and then headed back out to Copyholt Lane before returning back at 4.20am.
Prosecuting, Simon Denison said: "The prosecution say that you can be sure that in that 20 minutes they were at Prego Pizza, they were preparing to move and then moving Zobaidah's body in the Nissan Micra to be taken and disposed of in the grave they dug in Copyholt Lane.
"Having been back to Prego Pizza to bind and collect her, they took her out in the car and that activity recorded is when they were burying the body at 4.20am."
The court has been told that Nezam Salangy's other brother Mohammed Yasin Salangi, who is also accused of assisting an offender, had remained in Cardiff, during the night of the alleged burial.
In the days after his wife's disappearance Salangy was said to have driven from Smethwick to Saltley with her phone. Data from his phone was said to have placed him in the same location as his missing wife's phone including in Smethwick High Street.
Mr Denison said: "When Nezam travelled to Saltley, so did Zobaidah's phone. The prosecution says it's further evidence that he was in possession of her phone and writing all those messages to her but also from her." Zobaidah's phone and SIM have never been found.
Messages to Nezam's phone from Zobaidah Salangy's phone read out in court said how she "never liked UK". Another read out to the court wrote: "Don't contact me anymore. I have a boyfriend and soon will leave infidel country. Go away, I have boyfriend and don't need you anymore."
Mr Denison said that after Nezam was arrested on April 4, he told officers that he "was confident his wife was still alive and would return home". Mr Denison added that Nezam said she "left him because she no longer wanted to live in the UK and wanted him to sell the house".
Mr Denison added police showed Mohammed Ramin maps of the area but he didn't know where they had been. The prosecution said that when the other brother, Mohammed Yasin, was interviewed, he told police on March 28, he got a call from his family in Afghanistan saying that his brother and wife had argued.
"Mohammed Yasin said he wouldn't interfere and that he didn't have a good relationship with Nezam," said Mr Denison. "He said Nezam called him and said the oven wasn't working and asked to bring a part to the shop."
Mohammed Yasin told police their mother had later called them and he's said "they couldn't go in any event due to covid", said Mr Denison. During the police interview, Mohammed Yasin said a cab driver had turned up and his brother went to Bromsgrove while he stayed in Cardiff.
The court heard that Mohammed Yasin told police that when he spoke to Mohammed Ramin the next day, his brother said "they're stupid people but there's absolutely nothing going on and they're fine".
The trial continues. You can follow updates from Worcester Crown Court during the trial here.
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