East Ham businessman killed during Birmingham warehouse robbery

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of Akhtar Javeed, 56, who was shot dead during an attempted armed robbery at Direct Source 3 Ltd in the Digbeth area of Birmingham. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday February 4, 2016. Mr Javeed was found fatally wounded in the street following the shooting at his business. See PA story POLICE Robbery. Photo credit should read: West Midlands Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

The businessman, of Central Park Road, was allegedly tied up with his colleagues by two masked robbers who then fatally wounded him after demanding keys to his safe.

The alleged incident happened at Mr Javeed’s fast-food supplies warehouse in Digbeth, Birmingham, and has sparked a manhunt by West Midlands Police to find two suspects who fled the scene. As yet no arrests have been made.

Officers and paramedics treated Mr Javeed, 56, at the scene, but he died in hospital a short time later.

Car salesman Norman Khan, 28, told a Press Association reporter that he saw Mr Javeed lying in a pool of blood as paramedics fought to save his life following the fatal raid on Wednesday evening.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Picture: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

“All his face was full of blood and there was blood on the floor,” Mr Khan said. “There were three guys standing there, I think they knew him. They said he had just been shot.

“When he was in the ambulance they were trying to bring him back to life again. It was shocking.”

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Mohammad Ashraf, 48, told how he was tied up with Mr Javeed before he died in what “sounded like an execution”.

He said: “They asked for Akhtar and took him away. I can’t remember if they said his name or asked for the boss. The next thing is I heard the gunshot. I didn’t know what had happened.

“I didn’t see it but it sounded like an execution. I freed one hand and rang the police on the landline.”

Talal Butt, 49, told the newspaper he heard that his friend Mr Javeed was held at gunpoint with his hand behind his back when one of the attackers ordered: “Give us the keys to the safe.”

Mr Javeed is believed to have run his firm Direct Source 3 Ltd on weekdays and returned home to Newham at weekends.

Syed Abbas, 30, who lives at a property owned by Pakistan-born Mr Javeed owns in east London, said that the businessman’s wife, two young children, grown-up daughter and son had the news broken to them on Wednesday night.

Acting Det Ch Insp Martin Slevin said: “At this early stage we believe this was a targeted robbery attempt at the business premises in Rea Street South, near to the junction with MacDonald Street.

“It happened at a time when other people may have been leaving work for the day and someone may have seen what happened or have important information about the suspects.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

• Did you know Akhtar Javeed? Pay tribute by calling 020 8477 3981 to speak with a reporter or email freddy.mayhew@archant.co.uk.