Knife found in hunt for taxi driver's killer

BY CLIO FRANCIS AND MICHAEL FOX

Police say they have found a knife that may have been used in the killing of Auckland taxi driver Hiren Mohini.

Mr Mohini, 39, died on an ambulance stretcher minutes after being stabbed repeatedly by a frenzied customer for the sake of a $20 fare early yesterday morning, in what police described as a frenzied attack.

Police this afternoon confirmed that a knife has been found at the scene.

Detective Senior Sergeant Hywel Jones would not give any more details about the knife other than to say it was being forensically examined.

Police are also looking at CCTV footage near where the passenger was picked up in the city and carrying out door to door inquiries in Mt Eden.

Police say they are working on strong leads, with 30 investigators hunting the killer.

CHAIN OF EVENTS

It is believed Mr Mohini, a husband and father of two, picked up his attacker at the central Sky City taxi stand before travelling the short distance to View Rd in Mt Eden.

At 1.23am he pushed the panic button in his cab, sending an emergency alert across the whole Auckland Co-Op network.

An autopsy yesterday revealed that he died from the stab wound to his chest. Witnesses said he had also suffered wounds to his face and neck.

"It was a frenzied attack," said Detective Jones.

Police were working on some strong leads "that will assist us to locate the killer," he said.

"This is a complex murder investigation," Mr Jones said.

Investigators were back in View Rd Mount Eden today to canvas the area and talk to residents and other locals, Mr Jones said.

"There are a large number of witnesses to interview, not only from the street where the murder happened but also other locations such as the CBD where a male suspect is believed to have hired the cab driven by the deceased."

Police urged anyone with information to call them on 0800 EDGEWATER (0800 444 014) or anonymously on the Crimestoppers line, 0800 555 111.

SAFETY MEASURES

The Government is to review taxi safety and consider mandatory safety measures in the wake of the killing.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce today said taxi safety did need to be looked at again. It had been reviewed in the past after earlier attacks.

"We're ending up in a situation where New Zealand isn't as safe for taxis late at night any more," he told Radio New Zealand.

Mr Joyce said he would meet with taxi industry representatives, the Department of Labour and the NZ Transport Agency to assess what further safety measures need to be implemented.

One of the challenges was having the taxi industry agree on what mandatory measures needed to be taken, he said.

"The Taxi Federation feels very strongly that cameras would have a deterrent effect ... and there are taxi drivers who feel very strongly that the only safe option are screens."

Screens however could limit the number of passengers a taxi could hold and the cost about $1000 to $2000 to install, Mr Joyce said.

There was also a responsibility by taxi owners and companies to provide a safe workplace, "and ultimately this will have to be borne by the taxi industry".

"It's part of the cost of doing business."

However, Prime Minister John Key did not rule out government funding and said all options would be considered.

"Obviously firstly tremendous sympathy goes out to the family. It's a tragic situation," Mr Key told Breakfast on TV One.

"We've also had two taxi drivers now killed in 14 months so I don't think either government or industry can sit back and just ignore this. Any person is entitled to know that they are safe as they can be in their work environment."

Options to be considered ranged from mandatory screens and cameras to the status quo. Implementation was not straight forward and there were also questions around whether the taxpayer should help or if taxi users should pay, Mr Key said.

New Zealand Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said they expected to play a significant role in deciding what the new measures to ensure the safety of its drivers were.

They had "strongly advocated" for security cameras to be made compulsory after the murder of Christchurch driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari but their calls went unheeded, he said.

"You don't take any comfort from the fact that I predicted ... in December that it would take another murder to get some action on proper safety measures and tragically I've been proved to be right."

He conceded the measures wouldn't be popular within the industry, with some drivers opposed to the extra cost.

"They've just got to realise it's a one-off cost and it's there to save their lives," he said.

Some taxi companies such as Nelson City Taxis and Tauranga-Mount Taxis already had cameras installed while Auckland Co-op Taxis was trialling them.

He said the onus was on drivers and companies to protect themselves and "get out and make the tough decisions", although he said it would take legislation.

The Taxi Federation was determined to get safety measures passed and Mr Reddish said their preferred option at this stage was cameras, although they were open to discuss alternatives such as screens.

Mr Reddish said he would like to see the safety measures implemented by the end of May.

"Maybe that's optimistic but I think that's the sort of quick timescale we've got to go with."

He said they believed there were around 7000 taxis currently on the road.

Mr Reddish said they expected to have a fund set up for Mr Mohini's family later today.

BYSTANDERS RUSH TO HELP

As Mr Mohini lay dying in his cab, bystanders ripped off his shirt and desperately tried to stem the blood pouring from his chest.

View Rd resident James McDaid, 25, was almost asleep when he heard a loud screech.

"There was this huge crashing sound, I ran outside and there was a taxi crashed into the tree."

By the time Mr McDaid reached the cab, Mr Mohini was lapsing in and out of consciousness.

"He couldn't talk but he was still breathing in and out, really heavily.

"There were two guys in the back seat talking to the ambulance on the phone. They cut off his shirt and were trying to apply pressure to his wounds. He had blood on his cheek and blood all over his chest.

"I know he was still alive when they removed him from the car into the ambulance, but he died quickly. He was dead before the ambulance could even leave."

Another neighbour, Andrew Strickett, was woken by yelling.

"I heard really loud screaming. The man who must have done the stabbing was standing right by my hedge yelling. After the argument the taxi took off, its tyres were squealing, then it crashed into the tree and everything went quiet."

Adam Couper said he heard a loud thud and rushed across the road, where he saw the car rammed up against the fence.

"One of my flatmates was in there trying to help, moved his head back so he could breathe but there wasn't much we could do," he told the New Zealand Herald.

Mr Couper said Mr Mohini's injuries were horrific.

"He had a knife wound to his neck as well as a pretty good stab to his chest. He was bleeding pretty profusely and there was blood all over the door."

Friends said Mr Mohini had emigrated to New Zealand six years ago from Mumbai, India, to raise his family somewhere safe.

He is survived by his mother, wife and two young daughters, aged 5 and 3.

The family was too distraught to comment yesterday.

COLLEAGUES MOURN DEATH

Fellow taxi driver Satish Chopra reflected on what had happened to his colleague.

"Maybe my friend was not that lucky," he told Radio New Zealand this morning.

"I was told that these guys were picked from the casino area, Sky City area, and were supposed to be dropped around Mt Eden. That's when the emergency button in the car was pushed asking for help. This is all I know so far."

Another fellow taxi driver, Krishna Reddy, was in shock.

"He was an excellent man. He wouldn't hurt a fly, he's got a smiling face all the time. He is a very gentle family man.

"The worst part is telling his family. How do you tell a wife that her husband is never coming home from work?

"Just because some fool chooses to kill him for no reason, for a $20 fare.

"This is the reason I don't drive at night. Why should I risk my life?"

Police are looking for a slim, dark-skinned man in his mid to late twenties, about 1.74m (5ft 8in) tall. He had long, greasy wavy or curly hair, which was swept back from his forehead. He was wearing dark jeans, black shoes, a long-sleeved shirt and carrying a black bag with a strap.

Auckland Co-Op taxis chairman Ian Graham said the company was devastated. "The company is shocked and angry that a young family man working hard to provide for his family has been taken in such a senseless act of violence."

The company has more than 1000 drivers and has been trialling the use of cameras in some taxis for security purposes.

The company instigated its own trial after Mr Joyce declined to make security cameras in taxis compulsory last year.

Yesterday Mr Joyce sent his condolences to Mr Mohini's family, friends and colleagues.

DRIVERS CONSIDER LEAVING

The latest incident has some of Mr Mohini's colleagues considering whether they should stay in their jobs.

Taxi driver Harjit Singh said he was considering leaving after yesterday's stabbing.

"It's just too dangerous. I used to drive taxis in Sydney and we had cameras in all our cabs there.

"I think it should at least be mandatory to have protective screens in the cabs.

"We have disgusting, drunk people in our taxis. It is not safe."

- with  NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News