Police are urgently appealing for witnesses after a body was found in the boot of a burnt-out car in Blackheath early on Saturday morning.
The victim has been named as 21-year-old Gagandip Singh from Bexleyheath. His next of kin have been informed.
Officers on patrol found the burning vehicle on Angerstein Lane, only a short walk away from popular tourist spot Greenwich Park.
A fire crew was called to put out the fire just after 2:00am on Saturday morning. Mr Singh’s body was found in the boot of the car.
Detective Chief Inspector Damian Allain, who is leading the investigation, said police are treating the death as a “targeted attack.”
“At this early stage we don’t believe that this was a random killing,” said DCI Allain. “We are appealing for anyone who was in or around the Angerstein Lane area that may have seen this either arrive or seen anyone acting suspiciously as the car was left ablaze, to contact us.”
The car, a blue Mercedes C-class with the number plate V362 SCL was last seen late on Friday afternoon in the south east London area.
Police formally identified Mr Singh on Saturday evening. The results of a post mortem examination are expected soon.
A local resident who asked not to be named said: “It’s all very grisly. We moved here because it’s such a quiet, little residential street, and it’s unnerving to think that something so horrible can happen right on your doorstep.”
Any witnesses or anyone with any information should call the incident room on 020 8721 4805 or they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Additional reporting by Germaine Arnold