Charity offers £20,000 reward for information on last year’s Leicester murder

An independent charity has announced a reward of £20,000 for information that could lead to the conviction of anyone for the murder of a 41-year-old man.

Raju Modhwadia, also Kara Muru, was stabbed to death in Stoneygate, Leicester, in December last year. But the charges of murder and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice brought against five people of the city did not stand legal scrutiny because of insufficient evidence.

Crimestoppers, which works independently of the police, said it believed some people witnessed the fatal stabbing. It said members of the public could win the reward for vital information that could help secure justice for Modhwadia whose life was cut short.

“We urge anyone with information to speak to our charity 100 per cent anonymously,” Crimestoppers’ East Midlands regional manager Lydia Patsalides said, adding that the charity could be contacted on freephone at 0800 555 111, which is open round the clock.

“If you know who was involved or what happened and you wish to not give your personal details, then our charity is here to help,” she said in her appeal.

“All we want to know is the information you have, not your name or any other personal details,” Patsalides said, emphasising that the organisation had a track record of keeping the anonymity of informers since its inception in the late 1980s.

“Crime information can be given in up to 140 different languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati and Somali,” she said.

“No amount of information is too small to tell us - were you at home on Boxing Day evening on Sunday 26 December 2021, close to where Raju was found? Did you hear or see anything suspicious? It is not too late to tell us what you know, and you could be eligible for a reward,” Patsalides said.

Leicestershire police said the reward offered by Crimestoppers would be in place from October 6 until January 6 next year.

Detective Inspector Nicole Main said Modhwadia was at a gathering shortly before his death in the area of Hamilton Street, near the junction with St Albans Road during the evening of December 26, 2021.

Modhwadia was then found with serious injuries the next morning. He was taken to a hospital but he could not be revived.

Media reports said Modhwadia had been involved in a fight in Hamilton Street before the stabbing.