A Derby man who fled to Pakistan after killing a business owner in Birmingham in a botched robbery has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being extradited to the UK to face justice.
In February 2016, Tahir Zarif, and three other members of his gang raided the Direct Source 3 warehouse on Rea Street in the Digbeth area where the offenders held the staff hostage at gunpoint. Zarif told the business owner, Akhtar Javeed, to part with the company’s takings and shot him in the leg in a violent warning to open the safe.
But Javeed, who was shot twice more from point-blank range when he was trying to escape, collapsed and died. The robbers fled the scene.
Zarif escaped to Pakistan five days after the incident and remained on the run in the south Asian country for two years.
Detectives investigated the case with the help of CCTV footage and mobile phone data.
Birmingham Crown Court heard how Sander van Aalten, a disgruntled former employee at Direct Source 3, drew a sketch of the warehouse to help the gang carry out the robbery attempt.
While Zarif was evading justice, the other offenders were jailed. Suraj Misty, 26, convicted of manslaughter, was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment. Lamar Wali was jailed for seven years and van Aalten for six years and eight months.
West Midland Police worked with the National Crime Agency, the UK’s High Commission in Pakistan and the Pakistani authorities to secure Zarif’s arrest. He was eventually detained in Mirpur in January 2018 and extradited to the UK in February 2020.
During his trial at Coventry Crown Court last month, he claimed he had accidentally shot Javeed in a struggle.
On Thursday, Zarif, now 32, was handed down life imprisonment with a minimum of 30 years in jail. He was also sentenced to 18 years in jail for conspiracy to rob and given two seven-year jail terms for firearms offences. All his jail terms will run concurrently.
Javeed’s son spoke to Zarif directly and called him a “coward” who had “cruelly taken away my dad”.
Detective Inspector Ranj Sangha said the police refused to rest until Zarif was brought to justice although other members of his gang were jailed.
Sangha said the investigators worked closely with their partners in Britain and Pakistan to bring the offender back to the UK.
Derby man who shot dead businessman in botched Birmingham robbery gets life sentence
Tahir Zarif fled to Pakistan after the crime in 2016 but was extradited to the UK in 2020 to face justice.
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)