A major probe into the mysterious death of a notorious ‘fixer’ involved in the murder of a prominent Fife businessman over a decade ago is still ongoing, authorities have confirmed.
Deyan Nikolov, 33, a Bulgarian ex-bouncer from Kirkcaldy, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years back in 2012 after arranging for hitman Tencho Andonov to kill Toby Siddique at a house in Glenrothes in 2010.
Prison sources surmised that Nikolov had either been using the bag to enhance the effect of taking drugs, or had been the victim of a botched sex game, but inquiries are continuing more than two-and-a-half years after his passing.
The Courier understands that Nikolov’s death is being looked at more closely after a Perthshire man with previous links to the Bulgarian was found dead in a burned-out stolen car in Blantyre last February.
Rafal Lyko, 36, who worked as a landscape gardener, had previously been jailed for four months in 2012 for smuggling a hi-tech spy phone into prison for Nikolov to use while he was on trial for murder.
Nikolov had the tiny smartphone – which looked like an ordinary digital watch –brought to him while he was remanded in maximum security Perth Prison, and detectives are examining possible links between the 2010 contract killing, Nikolov’s death and Mr Lyko’s murder.
Asked about the status of Nikolov case, a spokesperson for the Crown Office confirmed: “The investigation into the death of Mr Nikolov is ongoing.
“There will be a mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) in due course.”
Glenrothes murder
Nikolov was jailed for the part he played in the fatal shooting of businessman Mohammed Nadeem Siddique, 38, better known as ‘Toby’, at a flat in Glenrothes’ Tanshall area in October 2010.
He and two other men were found guilty of murder.
The victim’s brother, Mohammed Azam Siddique, 41, was jailed for a minimum of 25 years after hiring Andonov to execute his brother over their business rivalry.
Andonov, the man who pulled the trigger, was also convicted of attempting to murder former security man David Dalgleish, 44, who lived at the flat and had been left for dead.
The trio were eventually caught after Nikolov missed his getaway flight by forgetting his passport and were found guilty after a four-month trial – one of the longest in Scottish criminal history.
Numerous questions remain about the case, however, and the murder weapon used in the Siddique shooting has never been found.
