Jump to content

Please Help - Missing Person


simran345
 Share

Recommended Posts

Inderjit Bhogal was last seen on Friday evening in Birmingham City Centre at approximately 10.30pm.

He had gone out with work colleagues for a meal in Brindley Place.

We are appealing for anyone with any information about where he could be to please contact the West Midlands Police on 101.

We pray for his safe return.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1067901526567575&substory_index=0&id=668389663185432

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This story is related to Manchester's canals but I have no wish to see a repeat of Ricky Reel's case.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11350062/Who-is-stalking-the-canals-and-streets-of-Manchester.html

Who is stalking the canals and streets of Manchester? More than 60 bodies have been recovered from Manchester's canals in just six years - could a serial killer be on the loose?

A chill wind rushes down Manchester’s Canal Street, rippling the green slime on the surface of the water. Strings of fairy lights, remnants of the festive season, clatter in the trees as a lone pedestrian turns up the collar of his winter coat.

Overhead, the light is fading. Below, in the murky water, bubbles rise and burst amid a sludge littered with debris from nights gone by: takeaway boxes, empty beer cans, condom wrappers, needles. The walkway is dotted with tunnels, low-hanging and cobwebbed, where shadows lurk beyond the reach of street lights and the air is heavy with the stench of decay.

If the whispers that have surfaced this week are to be believed, this is not a place to be after dark. A serial killer – nicknamed “The Pusher” – is said to stalk these parts. In a plot that could come straight from the pages of the latest grisly thriller from Val McDermid, it has emerged that 61 bodies have been pulled from the city’s waterways in just six years.

A leading academic has suggested that the high death toll may not be coincidental, sparking fears among residents that something more sinister is at play. Reports of the canal killer have been published as far afield as Scandinavia, America and Australia, while stories of near-misses and eerie experiences have been shared under the hashtag #thepusher on Twitter.

Prof Craig Jackson, head of psychology at Birmingham University, formed his theory after being presented with the results of a freedom of information request by a national newspaper.

“Having looked at the data, I simply can’t discount the possibility of foul play,” he explains. “I certainly don’t believe these were suicides, because canals are not popular suicide spots. Statistically speaking, the number of bodies is much, much higher than you would expect of one waterway.

"And a lot of the forensic investigations and coroners’ reports on these deaths were inconclusive.” He is meeting with representatives of Greater Manchester Police early next week to discuss his findings.

Many of the fatalities recorded on Manchester’s meandering canal network, which threads its way through the industrial fringes of the city from Salford Quays in the west to the River Irwell in the north, have indeed been mysterious.

Canadian tourist Anthony Muise, 53, was found in the Manchester Ship Canal with a puncture wound to his chest in February 2010. Police said “very little” was known about his final movements and his death was treated as unexplained.

Chris Brahney, 22, was discovered in the same stretch of water 10 days after going missing in June 2012 – and an inquest returned an open verdict. The following January, the body of local student Souvik Pal was pulled from the Bridgewater Canal after he disappeared on New Year’s Eve. He was seen walking away from a club with another man, who was never traced, and another open verdict was recorded.

Manchester - the once gritty heart of the north of England, now transformed into a thriving metropolis - provides fertile inspiration for writers of crime novels and TV dramas, with the likes of Prime Suspect and Scott & Bailey set here. Indeed, this was the real-life backdrop for some of Britain’s most notorious mass murders – Ian Brady and Myra Hindley carried out their heinous crimes on the Moors surrounding Greater Manchester between 1963 and 1965; Harold Shipman, convicted of killing 15 patients, had a surgery in nearby Hyde; and Trevor Hardy, known as the “Beast of Manchester”, murdered three teenage girls here between 1973 and 1976. But could a modern-day serial killer really be roaming the city’s streets - or is it mere hysteria whipped up by a nation addicted to suburban noir?

Canal Street, the vibrant hub of the city’s gay district, known for its wild party scene and abundance of bars and clubs, shows no sign of being affected by the reports. On a bitter evening in January, rainbow-coloured posters boasting drinks offers (“£2 shots; double up for £1”, “Happy hour wine for £7.95”) flap in the wind and welcoming lights shine out from the windows of the Union Hotel. Revellers gather here in the early hours, spilling out of doorways and piling into taxis, and plastic barriers fence off the waterside to prevent them tripping on the cobblestones and falling in.

But venture further along the canal and it is uninhabited, desolate; an infamous cruising area away from prying eyes. There are few CCTV cameras, only graffitied signs tacked to lampposts, warning in stark capitals: “Danger of falling”.

Some of those who work and socialise on the street are unconcerned by claims that a serial killer may be on the loose. “Everyone’s really friendly and I’ve never heard of it being dangerous,” says Laura Loe, 20, a nightclub worker from nearby Wigan. “People come here for a safe, non-judgemental time,” adds Michael Davenport, 19, a Manchester student. “But people can be quite promiscuous after a few drinks – so I can see how they might seek out more isolated areas late at night.”

Others sense there could be something more disturbing afoot. “The rumours have been around for a while and it’s stopped me walking down the canal on my own,” admits Sian Hayward, 37, from North Wales, who runs a music venue on the waterway. “There are some darker areas and you wouldn’t go down there. But I think it’s more likely that people get wasted and fall in the water than that they’re pushed.”

Faycel Belhourania, 35, works at a takeaway on the corner of Canal Street, where two windows have recently been smashed by partygoers. “You do get some trouble around here, though it’s usually fights,” he says. “For people who don’t know the area, it can be a bit dodgy. There’s a good number of police around, but not enough in my view.”

Prof Jackson isn’t convinced by the idea of a “pusher”, but says the issue definitely requires further investigation. “Serial killers tend to pick on five main groups: gay men, prostitutes, older people, migrants and the homeless. Essentially, they target those who inhabit secluded areas and who might be drunk or high – so Canal Street and its surrounding towpaths make ideal working grounds for predators. There are lots of places where you could have a strategic advantage if you were to surprise or suddenly attack someone you’d befriended.”

CCTV-Cameras_2474390c.jpg(EPA) Experts say there needs to be more CCTV around the canals

He says the decomposition of the bodies that have been dredged up is significant – 48 were so badly decayed as to be unidentifiable – as this links them together. So, too, does the fact that they were all male. “If this was a section of motorway and one person was being killed every month, it would be declared an accident black spot,” he adds. “I do think there has been a lack of action – whether these are accidents or suicides or something more ominous, or a combination of all three. There needs to be increased police presence; more CCTV; perhaps a public safety campaign.”

For its part, Greater Manchester Police has rejected suggestions of foul play. “There is no evidence at all to suggest these deaths are linked or were suspicious,” insists detective chief superintendent Russ Jackson, head of GMP’s Serious Crime Division. “We have worked with Manchester City Council to understand factors which might contribute to people losing their lives in the water… lighting, safety barriers, as well as, in some cases, alcohol consumption. The last thing we want is to cause further suffering and upset to grieving families who may be falsely led to believe there is a linked series of attacks.”

Yet the family of Souvik Pal welcome Prof Jackson’s comments. “We’re not sure about a serial killer, and don’t want to jump to the conclusion that he was murdered, but there is someone who knows something,” says Gemma Hale, a friend who was with Souvik on the night he disappeared and speaks on behalf of his father, Santanu, who lives in India. “It took 22 days to find Souvik and he was just 50 metres away from the club we were in. For his family and friends, it has been really difficult to live, not knowing what happened to him… Hopefully, if we can raise more awareness about the deaths, the police will be forced to reopen some of the cases.”

Research has shown that there are between three and five serial killers operating in Britain at any one time. Though rare, these sorts of mass murders are not unheard of – and connections are often not made until it is too late. But experts are divided over Prof Jackson’s claims about the Manchester deaths. “Sixty-one deaths is a staggeringly high number to simply put down to chance,” says Prof David Wilson, a criminologist at Birmingham University. “The police hate the suggestion that there may be a serial killer – they look wrong-footed, or slow to act.”

Meanwhile, Prof David Canter, a renowned psychologist who developed the science of investigative psychology from offender profiling, says the suggestion is “rather irresponsible” without further evidence about exactly where the bodies were found and likely causes of death. “This is a very large area near places where lots of people get drunk. A more helpful comment would be to question the safety of canals at night.”

Whatever the truth behind the deaths, rumours about The Pusher abound online and whispers echo up and down the waterway. As darkness falls on Canal Street, two police officers start their patrol, and lingering pedestrians quicken their pace towards home. Though it may have the makings of fiction, what happened here is all too real for the grieving relatives of those who have died; many of them still waiting for answers to bubble up from the shadowy depths of the canal.

“Don’t fall in,” warns a passer-by, as I lean over the black water for a closer look. I jump, steady my footing and turn around – but he’s gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ricky-reel-died-after-a-racist-attack-16-years-ago-now-his-family-says-a-new-witness-could-prove-he-8531759.html

The police believe his death was most likely an accident but his family has always insisted he was murdered. An inquest recorded an open verdict and there were two police investigations, neither of which established exactly how he died.

The family has long been critical of how the police handled Mr Reel’s case, arguing that detectives did not take its concerns seriously because it was Asian – a charge the Met has always denied. Now Mr Reel’s mother, Sukhdev Reel, has disclosed that she was recently contacted by a woman who claimed to have information on a young man and convicted murderer who may have been involved in Mr Reel’s death.

In an interview with BBC London due to be broadcast tonight, Ms Reel said: “She gave a name as to who he is and where he is. He is currently in prison for a murder. He murdered a man and is spending life in prison.” The family passed the woman’s information on to the police but it was discounted after they were told that the witness might not be credible and had refused to talk to officers.

“They have come back and said the person who gave the information is too frightened to speak to the police and that maybe this person has learning disabilities and may not be credible,” Ms Reel said.

For the Reel family, the woman’s testimony is the first fresh lead in a tragedy. “This is the first time after a long time that a witness has come forward and named what the witness thinks is a possible suspect,” said Suresh Grover, from the Southall Monitoring Group, which has supported the family.

Mr Grover, Ms Reel and Tish, Mr Reel’s younger sister, recently met with officers at Scotland Yard to press upon them the importance of following up the lead. “The police have tried to interview the witness,” Mr Grover said. “For various reasons that witness has not come forward and given a proper statement to the police, so based on the emails that she sent to the family which have been handed to the police they’ve done their investigation. So we have a situation where they [the police] cannot say they are malicious or unfounded but they don’t think they should be relied on; now that’s a situation which no family should be under.”

But the Met has insisted that the evidence was insufficient to reopen the case: “We can confirm that inquiries were recently made by officers from the Special Casework Investigation Team after information was received by a member of the public,” a Met spokesperson said in a statement. “There was ultimately insufficient evidence to take inquiries further.”

The family said it has lost confidence in the police. At the time of Mr Reel’s disappearance, the family claimed officers suggested he had run away because he was gay or was facing an arranged marriage. “After that we knew we were not going to get any co-operation, any support or any assistance from the police,” Ms Reel said.

But the family’s lack of confidence in the police has encouraged Tish to train as a lawyer and she now works with Imran Khan, the solicitor who represented Stephen Lawrence’s family. “Even if the bottom line of this is we never know and I truly hope that is not the case… we can make sure other families were never treated the way we were,” she said. “Yet that still happens now, which is what’s appalling 15 years on.”

The full interview with Sukhdev Reel will be broadcast tomorrow night on BBC London News, BBC 1 at 6.30pm

Racist killings: Unsolved cases

Surjit Singh Chhokar

Became known as the “Scottish Stephen Lawrence” when he was stabbed to death in November 1998 outside his white girlfriend’s home in an apparent attempt to stop him going to the police over stolen benefits money. Three men were later put on trial, each blamed the other. All were found not guilty of his murder, though one was found guilty of assault. An inquiry found elements of institutional racism within Strathclyde Police and the prosecution service.

Kamal Raza Butt

Beaten to death outside a corner shop in Nottingham three days after the 7 July bombings by a gang of youths shouting “Taliban”. One youth, Mardell Pennant, 17, was convicted of manslaughter. But Nathan Williams, the man police believed threw the fatal punch, walked free after witnesses were reluctant to testify. Williams was later gunned down in a dispute over drugs turf.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • yeh it's true, we shouldn't be lazy and need to learn jhatka shikaar. It doesn't help some of grew up in surrounding areas like Slough and Southall where everyone thought it was super bad for amrit dharis to eat meat, and they were following Sant babas and jathas, and instead the Singhs should have been normalising jhatka just like the recent world war soldiers did. We are trying to rectifiy this and khalsa should learn jhatka.  But I am just writing about bhog for those that are still learning rehit. As I explained, there are all these negative influences in the panth that talk against rehit, but this shouldn't deter us from taking khanda pahul, no matter what level of rehit we are!
    • How is it going to help? The link is of a Sikh hunter. Fine, but what good does that do the lazy Sikh who ate khulla maas in a restaurant? By the way, for the OP, yes, it's against rehit to eat khulla maas.
    • Yeah, Sikhs should do bhog of food they eat. But the point of bhog is to only do bhog of food which is fit to be presented to Maharaj. It's not maryada to do bhog of khulla maas and pretend it's OK to eat. It's not. Come on, bro, you should know better than to bring this Sakhi into it. Is this Sikh in the restaurant accompanied by Guru Gobind Singh ji? Is he fighting a dharam yudh? Or is he merely filling his belly with the nearest restaurant?  Please don't make a mockery of our puratan Singhs' sacrifices by comparing them to lazy Sikhs who eat khulla maas.
    • Seriously?? The Dhadi is trying to be cute. For those who didn't get it, he said: "Some say Maharaj killed bakras (goats). Some say he cut the heads of the Panj Piyaras. The truth is that they weren't goats. It was she-goats (ਬਕਰੀਆਂ). He jhatka'd she-goats. Not he-goats." Wow. This is possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard in relation to Sikhi.
    • Instead of a 9 inch or larger kirpan, take a smaller kirpan and put it (without gatra) inside your smaller turban and tie the turban tightly. This keeps a kirpan on your person without interfering with the massage or alarming the masseuse. I'm not talking about a trinket but rather an actual small kirpan that fits in a sheath (you'll have to search to find one). As for ahem, "problems", you could get a male masseuse. I don't know where you are, but in most places there are professional masseuses who actually know what they are doing and can really relieve your muscle pains.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use