Hard to believe

BY JANIE SMITH

Tributes are flowing in for a Mt Roskill taxi driver stabbed to death in a vicious attack at the weekend.

Flowers now mark the scene on View Rd in Mt Eden where Auckland Co-Op Taxi driver Hiren Mohini, 39, was stabbed repeatedly, crashed into a tree, and died at 1.23am on Sunday.

Mt Roskill MP Phil Goff has visited Mr Mohini's grieving family and says his heart goes out to them.

"Hiren was a decent and dedicated family man working hard for his family to get ahead. My heart goes out to his wife Falguni, mother Vasantiben and two young daughters Yashvi and Hetvi.

"In a senseless act of violence, they have been deprived of a husband, son and father."

Mr Goff is also among those calling for protective shielding for taxi drivers and plans to raise the issue with Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

He says taxi drivers who work late at night "carrying passengers who may be drunk, on drugs or simply predatory" are vulnerable and at risk.

Detective senior sergeant Hywel Jones described the attack on Mr Mohini "frenzied".

Forty police staff and investigators were yesterday morning still hunting for the killer in what they described as a complex murder investigation.

The attack has shocked and saddened Mr Mohini’s colleagues and the wider taxi community.

Alert Taxis managing director Robert van Heiningen says the incident was horrific.

"We are all very sad, it was a terrible incident. A young man with a family, it’s horrific. Among our fleet there is disbelief."

He says after Christchurch taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari was stabbed to death in December 2008, "everybody held their breath".

Such incidents are a taxi company owner’s worst nightmare, he says.

"I continuously worry about our guys being out there at night."

Mr van Heiningen says assaults on taxi drivers have increased since he joined the industry 20 years ago and believes violence is getting worse.

"After an incident like this there will always be apprehension.

"Some people may make the decision to no longer work at night."

He says drivers have also been assaulted in daylight, but the risk of working nights is always greater.

Mr Mohini’s funeral is expected to be held later this week after extended family arrive from India.

Anyone with information can call the investigation hotline – 0800 EDGEWATER 0800-444-014 – or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800-555-111.

- © Fairfax NZ News