Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Family’s agony 16 years after Grandad, 68, brutally beaten and stabbed to death at his home

Mehar Singh Kataria was killed on February 3, 2006.

Family’s agony 16 years after Grandad, 68, brutally beaten and stabbed to death at his home

IN a curious case, the mystery about the death of a granddad in East Ham still remains unresolved even after 16 years.

Mehar Singh Kataria, 68, in Byron Avenue in East Ham was killed on February 3, 2006, reportedly for £200.


According to reports, his killer remains on the loose and has never been brought to justice. The Metropolitan Police even offered a £20,000 reward for information.

During the time of the unfortunate incident, the retired tailor was living alone. His has five children and 13 grandchildren. His body was discovered in a pool of blood by his son at his house.

A police report said that Kataria was beaten over the head with a blunt object, and his body was then covered with a tablecloth by his attackers, and he was repeatedly stabbed in the upper body.

Officers believe that he knew the killer or killers, as there was no signs of any disturbance or forced entry.

DCI Carl Mehta earlier said that he suspected the killer was from the Asian community, possibly the Sikh community, where Kataria was well known. 

Appeals were made to anyone who had seen Mehar that day, as well as to members of the local Asian community. Police said they were keen to trace two Indian men that had been seen standing in the road where he lived, and had been seen in his front garden on the day that he was murdered.

Reports said that they had been spotted at various times during the days leading up to the murder, and were heard speaking in Punjabi with an Indian dialect. Unfortunately, the two men have never been traced.

“Why was he so brutally attacked resulting in murder? What could someone have possibly gained by taking the life of an old man? I need closure, my life is on hold knowing his killers are out there, knowing they are still living and my Daddy isn’t," his youngest daughter Rimpy Bhatia was quoted as saying by media reports.

His son-in-law Harbans Singh Kohl also said that neither he nor his young family deserved to be robbed of his life.

“He was a family man who led a simple life. He had no enemies or any arguments that may have led to such a brutal killing. Some of us are still too scared to even go out of our houses knowing his killer is still out on the road walking freely, possibly planning his next victim. Help us stop him before another family is hurt," he said. 

More For You

Jolly Rancher Recalled in UK Over Cancer-Linked Chemical Fears

Jolly Rancher sweet products were recalled due to the presence of banned ingredients

Amazon.UK

Jolly Rancher candy recalled in UK over cancer-linked chemicals

An urgent warning has been issued in the UK after several popular Jolly Rancher sweet products were recalled due to the presence of banned ingredients linked to cancer. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that certain products, including Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, ‘Misfits’ Gummies, Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, and Berry Gummies, are affected.

These sweets, produced by American confectionery giant Hershey, were found to contain Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) and Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbon (MOSH), both of which are derived from crude oil and have been associated with serious health risks, including cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
British national survives Ahmedabad Air India crash

Rescue and relief work underway following the Air India plane crash, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)

British national survives Ahmedabad Air India crash

ONE survivor walked away from the Air India aircraft that crashed at Ahmedabad airport earlier this morning (12), according to the latest reports from India.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, a UK national, was in seat 11A of the Air India Flight 171 bound for London Gatwick when it crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad with 242 people on board.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India crash: Former Gujarat chief minister Rupani was on aircraft

FILE PHOTO: Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. (PTI Photo)

Air India crash: Former Gujarat chief minister Rupani was on aircraft

FORMER Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was believed to be on board the London-bound Air India plane that crashed near the Ahmedabad airport soon after take-off on Thursday (12), a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

"Vijay Rupani was going to London by the Air India flight," senior BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama told reporters in Ahmedabad. "I am going to the city civil hospital to inquire about him," he added.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India crash: Police collect 204 dead bodies

Police said they had collected 204 dead bodies (PTI photo)

Air India crash: Police collect 204 dead bodies

  • All 242 passengers on board believed to have been killed in the Air India crash AI-171 in Ahmedabad
  • Air India passenger hotline numbers - 1800 5691 444 and for foreign nationals +91 8062779200
  • There were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian on board the flight bound for London Gatwick
  • Contact @HCI_London on the emergency number 07768765035 with regard to emergency visa assistance to travel to India if needed

POLICE in Ahmedabad said they had collected 204 dead bodies after the London-bound Air India aircraft with 242 people on board crashed into residential buildings after takeoff on Thursday (12).

“We have found 204 bodies,” city police commissioner GS Malik said, adding that 41 injured people were “under treatment”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer says scenes of Air India plane crash 'devastating'

Keir Starmer. (Photo by JORDAN PETTITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer says scenes of Air India plane crash 'devastating'

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Thursday (12) expressed his anguish following a plane crash involving a London-bound Air India flight with 53 British nationals among 242 on board, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.

"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” Starmer said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less