Anuj Bidve: Hapless police post £50,000 reward
WHO killed Anuj Bidve. The police have arrested five men for the murder of the Indian student in Salford. They have used the words “racially motivated” and called Anuj Bidve’s death a hate crime, although not one motivated by, er, race.
You might suppose that the polcei were making progress. So. Why have they posted a £50,000 reward for anyone naming Anuj Bidve’s killer?
Greater Manchester Police appear to be struggling to catch the killer or killers of 23-year-old Anuj Bidve.
The BBC pushes the race line, albeit subtly:
The Lancaster University student was shot by a white man in the early hours.
Det Ch Supt Mary Doyle, who is leading the murder inquiry, tells the BBC:
“It is an extremely unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime, which is why we are taking the step of issuing [the reward] a bit earlier than we normally would. We absolutely understand the need to take whoever is responsible for this off the streets.”
Which tells us that the police have no evidence against all or any one of the five arrested men – or not enough to secure a conviction. Three of the five have been releaed on bail.Two men aged 19 and 20 are still being questioned by detectives.
Says Doyle:
“That’s the reason we are issuing it now at such an early stage.”
Maybe. A cynic might say it’s because the case if high profile and there is lots of money in overseas students – Mr Bidve was studying at Lancaster University. The GMP need to look busy and proactive.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, says:
“Overseas students need to be reassured that the UK has taken every possible step to ensure such a tragic event will not happen again.”
How? By arming students, or keeping them under curfew?
The police have already stuffed up. Anuj Bidve’s father, Subhash Bidve, found out about his son’s murder on Facebook.
ACC Copley assures one and all:
“That is not the way anyone should have to find out something so devastating and we completely understand how upset the family are.”
How did it happen, then? How did the police not get in touch with the family straight away?
“Social networking is instantaneous and we have no control over when and what people post on such sites, but no-one should hear such tragic news in this way.”
Did Anuj Bidve’s friends post the news on Facebook? And why blame social networking when the police have old fashioned forms of communication, like telephones. Or twitter:
ACC Copley adds:
“A family liaison officer was quickly put in place after Anuj’s murder who made exhaustive inquiries to try and inform the family and deliver the awful news personally.”
Did the coppers use Anuj Bidve’s Facebook ‘freinds’?
“Unfortunately, as the officer was attempting to contact the family through the right channels, a post was put on Facebook. Since then, we have had two family liaison officers in regular contact with Anuj’s immediate family and those who speak on his behalf to keep them updated about every step of the progress of the investigation.”
Anuj Bidve was a student at a British University. Surely they would have had the victim’s records on file – next of kin contact details? How hard was it to call his dad? Indeed, Mr Bidve’s number was on his son’s mobile phone.
Mr Bidve told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“Nobody official from the UK Government or consulate or the Indian government called us and told us about this. I am really surprised because they confiscated his phone and must have known his father’s or mother’s number.”
ACC Copley adds:
“Greater Manchester Police is also working very hard to bring the family over to Manchester as soon as possible.”
Because airplane tickets from India are hard to get? This sound a lot less like policing than PR.
Posted: 30th, December 2011 | In: Key Posts, Reviews Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
