Police have so far arrested two men in connection with the murder of taxi driver Mohammed Istakhar, 44, who was found fatally stabbed in Solihull on 29 November.
A 19-year-old man was detained in the Creswell area of Derbyshire on Tuesday (6) following a widespread public appeal for information. Last week, Luca De-Fazio, 18, was charged with murder in the same case.
The body of the father-of-five was found with fatal injuries at around 6.45am at the junction of Braggs Farm Lane at Lady Lane.
The funeral prayers were said at Smethwick Jamia Masjid, on Windmill Lane on Tuesday for Istakhar who was affectionately known as ‘Rambo’. According to reports, his burial will be held at Thimblemill Lane Cemetery on Wednesday (7).
In a tribute, the family said that he was ‘their hero’.
“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 four 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.”
His friend, Khalid Mohammed, 48, from Smethwick, said: “He was a very nice person. He was cheerful, happy and always had a smile on his face. He had a house in Cape Hill and he had bought a bigger house on Portland Road and had fixed it up.
“He loved his taxis. He had been doing it for a long time. He used to eat at a restaurant on Dudley Road with his taxi friends. This is a big loss. All his friends used to call him Rambo as his nickname. He got along with everyone and his family are heartbroken,” Mohammed was quoted as saying by the Birmingham Mail.
Police said that on 29 November Istakhar has driven a fare from Birmingham city centre to the Solihull area.
Det Insp Michelle Thurgood, from Force CID, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of 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.”
West Midlands Police urged public to get in touch via Live Chat, or by calling 101, and quote log 515 of 29/11/22, or call crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 if they have any information.
