An Indian-origin taxi driver was stabbed by an unknown assailant and found dead in his taxi that crashed on Sunday in New Zealand’s Auckland city.
Hiren Mohini, 39, was driving the taxi that veered off the road and hit a tree around 1.30 a.m. (local time). People who rushed to the spot found him dead.
A post-mortem report found a stab wound to his torso, the New Zealand Herald reported.
A homicide inquiry was launched following the death and the police are looking to interview a young male who was seen running towards the Esplanade Road immediately after the crash, it said.
Investigators, who spoke to a number of witnesses, described the man as a “slim-built, dark-skinned male in his mid to late 20s with long, greasy hair to the back of his neck.”
The police believe the man hired Mohini’s taxi 10 minutes before it crashed and are assessing security surveillance footage for more information.
The Auckland Cooperative Taxi Society chairman Ian Graham said the Society was “deeply saddened by the tragic case of Mr. Mohini this [Sunday] morning.”
“The company is in shock and anger that a young family man, working hard to provide for his family has been taken in such a senseless act of violence,” he said.
Mr. Graham said some of Mohini’s colleagues tried to rush to his aid after an internal emergency device inside the taxi was triggered on impact, but arrived too late.
