Police documents have uncovered that the individuals responsible for Muriel McKay’s disappearance may have visited a tailor’s shop in the East End associated with the Kray twins, where her family suspects she may have been buried.
McKay, aged 55, was abducted from her residence on December 29, 1969, by two brothers who mistakenly believed she was the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The brothers, Nizamodeen and Arthur Hosein, demanded a ransom of £1 million for her return, but unfortunately, she was never seen again. Although the brothers were apprehended and sentenced to life in 1970, they never disclosed the location of McKay’s body.
In recent years, Nizamodeen, who was deported to Trinidad after serving his sentence, mentioned that they buried McKay on a farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire, owned by Arthur, who passed away in prison. Despite multiple police searches, McKay’s remains were never recovered.
The family of Percy Chaplin, a tailor who crafted suits for the Kray twins, now believes that McKay may have been concealed in the garden of his shop in Bethnal Green. Percy’s daughter, Hayley Frais, expressed suspicions that her father may have been aware of the situation but chose not to disclose it to avoid involvement.
McKay’s family sought permission to investigate the site, now transformed into flats and a bookmaker’s shop, using radar technology but were denied access by the current proprietors. They are currently pursuing legal action in the High Court to conduct a thorough scan of the area. Recent evidence uncovered by the Daily Mirror supports the notion that McKay’s body could potentially be located at the site.
A police statement from the National Archives reveals that the lead investigator, Det Ch Supt Bill Smith, questioned Nizamodeen about his whereabouts following his arrest in 1970. Nizamodeen mentioned that the brothers had visited several tailors in London after leaving Rooks Farm in Hertfordshire, including Percy Chaplin’s shop in Bethnal Green.
Hayley shared that her father, Percy, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 98, had documented conversations with Arthur, where Arthur hinted at kidnapping a wealthy individual for ransom before McKay’s disappearance.
Hayley also mentioned that her father suspected a connection between a Polish criminal linked to Arthur and McKay’s concealment. She recalled incidents where her father was offered stolen jewelry and noticed strange odors in the shop, leading him to believe that McKay’s remains were temporarily stored there before being buried in the garden.
The tailor shop in Bethnal Green stands opposite a phone booth that the Hosein brothers had instructed the police to use during a failed ransom exchange. The brothers were apprehended six weeks after McKay’s abduction following a successful sting operation. The Metropolitan Police expressed continued sympathy for McKay’s family and highlighted their extensive investigations and searches in recent years.
Speaking from Israel, Hayley urged the authorities to take action based on her father’s credible information. She emphasized the need for a thorough search of the yard where McKay’s body is suspected to be buried, stressing that despite the years that have passed, the search for McKay should not be abandoned.
Mark Dyer, McKay’s grandson, echoed the family’s plea for closure and emphasized the importance of allowing a scan of the suspected burial site as their final opportunity to find answers.