Mystery deepens over body found in car outside Gatwick – as ‘friends' arrive asking questions after cops leave scene
The unidentified remains were discovered earlier this month inside a BMW which had been left on an industrial estate in Northgate, Crawley, allegedly since before Christmas.
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The Sun understands a group of people claiming to be the dead man's friends arrived after cops had left the scene last weekend, asking local traders for information.
Burger van worker Ibrahim Italil Cete told us he alerted the authorities multiple times before the grim find on the secluded spot in Whittle Way on June 6.
His Full Monty van stands just metres away from where the car was left.
Ibrahim explained last Saturday (June 7) people claiming to be the man's friends approached him to ask some questions.
While the body is yet to be identified, they suspected it could be their friend.
According to these people, the man hadn't been in touch with his family since September last year.
Ibrahim said: 'Apparently he had mental health issues and would go off-grid quite often.'
They also allegedly told him that the man's uncle was travelling back from Norway to try and identify him.
Ibrahim, as well as his colleagues and customers, first noticed the mysterious vehicle in October last year.
He claimed: 'We would see him drive off at 9am every morning, and then come back again every evening.'
Hilarious moment bumbling cops struggle to break down door as mocking neighbours shout 'go on… knock it!'
But from December last year, the driver seemed to stay put.
Ibrahim said: 'I reported the car to the police as abandoned on April 30th.'
He also spoke to motorway officers in an attempt to draw more attention to the vehicle.
He said: 'I told them the car had been parked there for ages and looked suspicious. But nothing came of it.'
It wasn't until a week last Friday when a recovery driver came to collect the car and spotted a dead body in the backseat, that police were called to the scene.
Officers arrived soon after at around 10.30am.
Ibrahim claimed: 'The person who found him came here first and told us to call the police. He was shaking.
'He said 'man, there is a dead body in there.''
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Ibrahim explained that the man was able to see the body because the right rear window had been smashed in - though it's unclear whether this was done by the recovery driver.
He added: 'I would often try and check on him but could never see anything because of the tinted windows.
'No one could see the body because of the windows.
'The man had also put a blanket between the two front seats so you couldn't see through the front windscreen.'
This could help to explain why the council failed to spot the body just weeks before when they put a parking notice on the windscreen.
Crawley Borough Council put a warning notice on the vehicle on May 19.
This noted that the car was "untaxed" and informed the owner it would be towed unless removed within seven days.
However, going by the Government's online vehicle tax checker, it is taxed until January 2026 and its MOT is valid until November 25 this year.
Ibrahim said: 'Every day customers would bring it up and say 'that BMW has been there for a long time'.'
He explained that there were a handful of occasions last year where he would see the man, describing him as a man in his mid-30s and of Indian/Asian descent.
When asked if he looked in a bad way, Ibrahim told The Sun: 'No, not at all, he just looked like a BMW driver.'
Local resident Tia Green, 25, lives in an estate two minutes away from Whittle Way and was there when the body was uncovered.
She explained that prior to the discovery people were curious but didn't think much of it, as the road is a popular spot for holiday goers to leave their cars to avoid paying Gatwick parking prices.
But she added: 'No one could believe it. The smell was really bad, it was horrendous.
'I'd say he was there for seven months. There was so much dust on the car, even on the tyres. It had been there so long.'
Other local residents were equally as in shock. Resident Alex Walker exclaimed: 'I noticed the car had been there for a while. The news was a big shock.'
While Sam Barrett, a worker at a nearby bike shop said: 'All I know is the car was there for longer than I have worked here.'
Sussex police said last Saturday that the death is not currently being treated as suspicious, with a report to be prepared by the coroner.
A force spokesman said: 'Police were called to Whittle Way in Northgate, Crawly, at around 10.30am on Friday, 6 June, to reports of a body found in a vehicle.
'Enquiries are ongoing to identify the individual and establish the full circumstances of the situation.'
The Sun has contacted police and the council for comment.
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