80-year-old Indian man dies after UK assault; five children arrested

London:

An 80-year-old Indian-origin man who was attacked while walking his dog in a park in an eastern English town near the city of Leicester died from his injuries, leading to the arrest of five children as police launched a murder investigation on Tuesday.

The victim, identified 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 night.

Leicestershire Police said that following a series of enquiries, its officers arrested a 14-year-old boy and girl and a 12-year-old boy and two girls on suspicion of murder, and all five are currently being interviewed by police.

“Sadly, following the death of the victim last night, this has now become a murder investigation,” said Detective Inspector (DI) Emma Matts, senior investigating officer for Leicestershire Police.

“Officers are still working at full speed to unravel the details of the attack and we have made a number of arrests as we continue to try 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,” he said.

According to police, the victim, who was wearing a black jumper and grey tracksuit bottoms, was walking his dog when he was brutally attacked by a group of youths, who left the scene before emergency services arrived.

“Were you in the area of ​​Franklin Park or Bramble Way at around 6.30pm on Sunday evening? Did you see the attack itself? From the description provided, did you see the victim prior to the incident or possibly a group of youths leaving the area afterwards? A scene preservation zone will be maintained in the park while our investigation continues. Local officers are also in the area carrying out safety patrols and are welcome to speak to anyone in the local community who has concerns,” Detective Inspector 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 of the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). In the meantime, detectives are working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and speaking to residents in the area to gather as much information as possible.

“He was walking the dog and was about 30 seconds away from getting home when he was attacked. He was lying under a tree and was initially complaining about his neck,” Kohli’s daughter told Leicestershire Live.

“He has always been very active, he has three plots of land. We have lived here for 40 years and recently there has been a lot of anti-social 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.