(Image source from: The News Minute) Photo: Nadeem Uddin Hameed Mohammed)

A Pakistani-origin man in the United Kingdom has been jailed for life for murdering his Indian origin co-worker in the mistaken belief that he was having an affair with his wife.

The 27-year-old Aqib Pervaiz lured Nadeem Uddin Hameed Mohammed, a native of Hyderabad, to an underground car of the supermarket, where they were working.

Minutes before, Pervaiz purchased a kitchen knife from the store in Slough, near London.

Despite Pervaiz being on friendly terms with Mohammed, he got convinced by his another colleague that Mohammed was in a relationship with his wife, Saima Munir.

                       (Image source from: BBC) Photo: Aqib Pervaiz


“You believed quite wrongly and without any foundation at all that your wife had formed a relationship with Mr. Mohammed, despite the efforts of your wife, other family members, and Mr. Mohammed to convince you your suspicions were all in your mind," Judge Heather Norton told Pervaiz during sentencing at Reading Crown Court this week.

Mohammed’s wife, Afsha, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the murder in May, has returned to India with their baby daughter who he never got to meet, the court was told.

Mohammed’s family, in a statement, said: "He was brutally and unfairly taken from the world when he was giving so much and had a big future. It is impossible to explain how deep and profound his loss is to the whole family; his wife, his newborn child, his father, the wider family and beyond. None of us can imagine a life with him gone and he will never be forgotten. May God give us strength and Nadeem peace."

In a CCTV footage, which was shown to the court, Pervaiz was seen attacking Mohammed from behind, using 20cm (8in) kitchen knife to deliver a single fatal blow to his chest. Mohammed, the resident of Southall suburb of south-west London, later died in hospital.

Before being considered for parole, Pervaiz was ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years imprisonment. He was also sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of a bladed article, which will run concurrently with his life sentence.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Shearwood of Thames Valley Police's Major Crime Unit, said: "This was a horrific incident, which occurred in daylight hours in front of members of the public. Pervaiz's actions on that day were despicable.

"Without warning, he brutally stabbed Nadeem in a very public place, in front of people going about their normal daily routines and his actions cost Nadeem his life."

The officer praised Mohammed's family for their dignity and bravery all through the extremely stressful and tragic time.

He added: "Pervaiz admitted his guilt due to the substantial amount of evidence against him, and I am pleased that Nadeem's family have been spared from a trial in court.

"Pervaiz will now serve a life sentence for murder, while it cannot bring Nadeem back, I hope it offers some form of closure for his family and it can help them to move on."

Mohammed married Afha in India less than a year ago and she had joined him in Britain just a month prior to the murder in May this year.

The store where Mohammed worked as an assistant manager issued a statement expressing shock and upset at the murder.

By Sowmya Sangam