Twenty year-old charged with Indian student’s murder in Britain
UK: British police on Sunday charged a 20-year-old man with
the murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve, who was shot in the head in an
apparently unprovoked attack in Manchester. Kiaran Mark Stapleton had
been charged over Monday's shooting of 23-year-old Bidve as he walked
into the city centre with Indian friends, Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
announced in a televised statement.
“This remains a complex investigation and the fact we have charged
someone does not mean the investigation is complete,” said Assistant
Chief Constable Dawn Copley.
“Anuj's family, who are still in India, have been made aware we have
charged someone in relation to Anuj's murder,” she added.
“We know that the family are extremely distressed that Anuj's body
has not yet been returned to them. We have been in close contact with
the coroner, who is anxious to release Anuj's body to his family at the
earliest possible time.” Four other people have been arrested in
connection with the shooting.
On Saturday, a 19-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was
bailed until the end of March, but on Sunday his bail was cancelled.
Three others, a 16-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys, were
earlier released on bail pending further inquiries.
Bidve, from the western Indian city of Pune, was studying
micro-electronics at Lancaster University in northwest England and had
been on a short break in nearby Manchester with eight Indian friends
when he was shot.
Police said the students were walking from their hotel in Salford
towards the city centre and were in the Ordsall area, Stapleton's home-neighbourhood,
when the shooting occurred.
A white male walked across the road and after a brief conversation
with the victim produced a gun and shot him at close range, before
running off. Bidve died in hospital a short time later.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle said it was “an extremely
unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime”.
Two members of the Manchester police flew to India on Sunday to meet
Bidve's family, who had criticised British and Indian authorities saying
they found out about the death through social networking site Facebook
before being informed by them.
The murder in Britain's third city is being treated by detectives as
a “hate crime” which may have been racially motivated.
Greater Manchester police have offered a 50,000 ($78,000, 60,000
euros) reward for information.
London, Monday, AFP |