Family tribute to Solihull murder victim as man arrested

A man's been arrested and remains in custody.

Author: Kellie MaddoxPublished 1st Dec 2022

West Midlands Police have arrested a man after a taxi driver was found fatally stabbed in Solihull early on Tuesday (29 Nov) morning.

Mohammed Istakhar, aged 44, died after being found with serious injuries at around 6.45am at the junction of Braggs Farm Lane at Lady Lane.

Investigators understand Mr Istakhar had earlier that morning driven a fare from Birmingham city centre to the Solihull area.

An 18-year-old man attended a police station yesterday evening (Wed) and was arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody for further questioning as investigations continue.

Mr Istakhar's devastated family have today paid tribute to him.

In a statement they said: "Our Daddy, our hero. Our hard-working father has been taken so quickly from us.

"He was our world. He was so loved, respected by the whole of our community.

“He leaves behind his grieving wife, his five children who he loved deeply, his elderly mother, his three sisters, his one brother and fur babies.

“Our Martyr will live on and has set at an example for his children. He will never be forgotten. See you on the other side daddy."

Det Insp Michelle Thurgood, from Force CID, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Istakhar at this tragic time and our investigation teams are focused on establishing exactly what happened.

"One person has been arrested and we are continuing with door-to-door enquiries as well as CCTV trawls and forensic investigations at several locations as we build a full picture of events.

"We have already spoken with a number of people who were in the area or live nearby and would urge anyone who hasn't yet been in touch to contact us."

If you can help, please contact police via Live Chat on their website, or by calling 101, and quote log 515 of 29/11/22

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