Leicestershire police have arrested five children on suspicion of murder. (Representative)
London:
An 80-year-old Indian man who was attacked while walking his dog in a park in an eastern English town near Leicester has died from his injuries, leading to the arrest of five children as police launched a murder investigation on Tuesday.
The victim, known locally as Bhim Sen Kohli, was walking his dog in Franklin Park in Braunstone Town when he was attacked on Sunday and died in hospital on Monday evening.
Leicestershire Police said that following a number of enquiries, officers have arrested a boy and a girl aged 14 and a boy and two girls aged 12 on suspicion of murder. All five are currently being questioned by police.
“Sadly, following the death of the victim last night, this has now become a murder investigation,” said Detective Inspector (DI) Emma Matts, chief investigator at Leicestershire Police.
“Officers continue to work hard to establish the details of the attack and we have made a number of arrests as we continue to understand what happened. We still need people who were in the area to come forward if they saw anything or have any information that could help,” she said.
According to police, the victim — dressed in a black sweater and gray sweatpants — was walking his dog when he was seriously attacked by a group of youths. They left the scene before emergency services arrived.
“Were you in the area of Franklin Park or Bramble Way on Sunday evening at around 6.30pm? Did you witness the attack yourself? From the description given, did you see the victim prior to the incident or possibly a group of youths leaving the area afterwards? A scene control will remain in place at the park as our enquiries continue. Local officers are also in the area conducting reassurance patrols and can speak to anyone in the local community who may have concerns,” DI Matts added in her appeal for information.
Police have also admitted that there was “previous police contact with the victim”, which has led to a voluntary referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC). In the meantime, detectives are working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and are speaking to residents in the area to gather as much information as possible.
“He was walking the dog. He was about 30 seconds away from home when he was attacked. He was under the tree and complained about his neck at first,” Kohli's daughter was quoted as saying by 'Leicestershire Live'.
“He's always been very active – he has three allotments. We've lived here for 40 years and recently there's been a lot of antisocial behaviour, which has been reported to the police,” she said. Kohli, described by friends and neighbours as a retired, fit and active man, is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
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