A MURDER victim’s severed thumb dropped out of the sky three days after he had been snatched from outside his home and killed, a jury heard.

It was still attached to part of Mahmood Ahmad’s hand and is thought to have been dropped by a bird, it was claimed.

No other remains of the 40-year-old hotel and restaurant worker have been found. It is alleged three men, including his former brother-in-law, tortured and murdered him.

St Albans Crown Court has heard the man allegedly behind the crime last March was Mohammed Riaz, 33, who was married to the dead man’s younger sister, Nahid Ahmad.

When she left him and went into hiding with their children the prosecution claim he kidnapped and murdered her older brother as he tried find out were she was.

On trial with Mr Riaz are his brother Sharif Mohammed, 37, from Ilford; Faisal Chowdhury, 18, of Newham; Arnold Yousaf, 18, of Cann Hall Road, Leytonstone; Amirzada Hussain, 37, of Churston Avenue, Plaistow and Mr Riaz’s sister Sabra Sultana 36, of Ilford.

On March 7 last year, Mr Ahmad was bundled into a car outside his Watford home and driven to Sultana’s rented flat at Redo House, Dore Avenue, Manor Park, which she shared with Hussain, the jury heard. That night between 2am and 4am cries of “Let me go” and “Leave me alone” were heard with other noises inside.

The prosecution says Mr Ahmad was killed in the early hours at the flat and his body taken to a butchers in Tottenham, owned by the brother of Hussain, and his body dismembered there.

It is alleged three days later Sultana arranged for the removal of the bath, basin and toilet from the flat.

Blood matching a DNA profile for Mr Ahmad was found in the flat.

Riaz, Chowdhury, Yousaf, Mohammed and Hussain deny murder. Riaz, Chowdhury and Yousaf deny conspiracy to kidnap. All six deny conspiracy to falsely imprison.

Hussain and Sultana deny perverting the course of justice by removing furniture and carpets from the flat.

Riaz, Mohammed and Hussain deny conspiring to pervert the course of justice by taking the body to the butchers shop. Mohammed denies perverting the course of justice by disposing of the car used to abduct Mr Ahmad. The trial continues.