Violence against taxi drivers

The scale of violence addressing the problem Dorothy Gunnett Gian Bajar

Mohammed Arshad: No Closure for Father of Three

Mohammed Arshad, a self-employed driver for A Cars, was killed in Kings Norton, Birmingham. He was found in Wast Hills Lane slightly before 9pm on 22 July 2009. He died from his injuries early the next morning. Police continue to hunt for his killer.

Sequence of Events

Arshad's last passenger, identifying himself as Peter, rang A Cars from a phone kiosk in Monyhull Hall Road at 8.19pm. Arshad picked him up outside Broadmeadow School at 8.29pm. Seven minutes later a witness saw Arshad's vehicle turn in Wast Hills Lane, toward Redhill Road. Arshad was found lying in Wast Hills Lane shortly before 9pm. He was transported to Selly Oak Hospital where he died from his injuries in the early hours of 23 July.

An hour after Arshad was found, police discovered his blue Ford Galaxy people carrier a mile from Wast Hills Lane. They recovered a knife from the vehicle; police believe at least part of the attack took place there. Arshad's post-mortem revealed he had been stabbed multiple times in the head, including a blow that punctured his skull and hit his brain.

Continuing Investigation

Detective Superintendent Sheila Thornes of the West Mercia Police heads the investigation. She released CCTV images of Peter in hopes that someone would recognise him: "I believe people who know him may recognise him from these images and if so I would appeal for them to contact the murder incident room immediately." Police created a composite image of Peter from the CCTV images. They also received a call from a witness who saw the man standing at the call box; they've since released an e-fit from the witness' description.

On 13 October, police launched a bus advertising campaign to more widely circulate the man's image. The campaign uses one of the CCTV images on posters placed on 50 National Express West Midlands buses. It's set to run for four weeks.

On 19 October, detectives sealed off Wast Hills Lane to reconstruct the events that led to Arshad's death in the hopes that it will help "identify further forensic opportunities." Officers have completed a house-to-house trawl near where Arshad's car was found. They plan to focus on Monyhull Hall Road, taking pictures of men aged 14 to 40. They will also collect voluntary DNA swabs and fingerprints.

Police are offering a £10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Arshad's killer. To date, that killer remains free.

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