POLICE arrested and charged a man they have been hunting in connection with the death of his wife and three children whose battered bodies were discovered at their home.

Rahan Arshad was met by police at London's Heathrow Airport as he stepped off a flight from Thailand at about 7am.
He was then brought from London to Manchester for questioning.

The 36-year-old taxi driver is known to have flown to Bangkok on Saturday, July 29.

The bodies of his wife Uzma, 32, and their three children, Henna, six, Abbas, eight, and 11-year-old Adam were discovered at the family's £200,000 home in Turves Road, Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, on Sunday, August 20.

The last known sighting of the children was one day before Mr Arshad's flight, which was on the final day of term at Bradshaw Hall Primary School.

It was understood murder squad detectives had been holding talks with authorities in Thailand about flying out to Bangkok in a bid to track down Mr Arshad.

It is understood the taxi driver had been traced by police in Thailand earlier this week and had agreed to return to this country voluntarily.
The bodies of his family had lain undiscovered for up to four weeks and post-mortem examinations revealed they all died of severe head injuries.

Mr Arshad's BMW 320 car was found abandoned at Heathrow the day after the bodies were discovered.
Two people, a husband and wife from Burnage, were arrested on suspicion of murder and then released on police bail.

At a police conference, Detective Superintendent Martin Bottomley said: "As you know we are investigating the murders of Uzma Rahan and her three children Adam, Abbas and Henna, whose bodies were discovered on Sunday 20th August.

"Since Monday 21st August we have been liaising with law enforcement authorities in Thailand following the discovery of a silver BMW car at Heathrow Airport that day.

"As a result of those enquiries Rahan Arshad was questioned by Thai authorities at the Thai / Malaysian border, re-entering Thailand, early on Wednesday morning, UK time.

"At 7pm last night, Mr Arshad voluntarily boarded a Thai Airlines flight in Bangkok to return to the UK in order to assist us with our enquiries. He landed at Heathrow Airport this morning.

"On leaving the plane, he was arrested on suspicion of the four murders and will be brought to Manchester later today, where he will be interviewed in relation to these offences.

"Uzma's family has been kept fully aware of these developments and a further press release will be made at the appropriate time."

He appeared in court in Stockport last week - see link below.

Family horror stuns community

GREATER Manchester police have issued an appeal to the Asian community for information on a man wanted over the murder of his wife and three children.

The search for taxi driver Rahan Arshad, aged 36, whose family were found beaten to death at their home in Cheadle Hulme, has switched to the Thai capital of Bangkok.

Detectives believe he boarded a plane at Heathrow Airport for Bangkok on Saturday 29 July, from Terminal 3.

Detective Superintendent Martin Bottomley, leading the investigation, said: "We are liaising with colleagues in Thailand via Interpol to help us trace his onward movements. Of course he could be anywhere in the world by now.

"I would ask anyone who has seen him or been in contact with him since 29 July to contact the incident room or any police officer immediately."

Police would also like to speak with anyone who called at the house or phoned the family between 28 July and 21 August.
His brother Razwan Arshad has pleaded with Rahan to hand himself in for the sake of his family.

He said: "Rahan, it's absolutely paramount that you come forward now to assist the police with their inquiries. If not for yourself, for your father, sisters and me.
"You should know how much we all love you and you should not feel as though you are alone, so please contact the police."

The bodies of Mr Arshad's wife Uzma, 32, and their three children, Henna, six, Abbas, eight, and 11-year-old Adam, were discovered at the family home in Turves Road, Cheadle Hulme
Police said the bodies lay undiscovered for up to four weeks and post-mortem examinations revealed they all died of severe head injuries.

Uzma's family spoke about their loss in a statement issued by police. They said: "We would like to say that Uzma was a loving, caring and devoted mother.
"We've lost a very special member of the family. Adam, Abbas and Henna were gorgeous, intelligent and well-mannered."

Mr Arshad's BMW 320 car was discovered abandoned at Heathrow this week, and detectives have now learned he boarded a flight to Thailand.

Officials in Thailand are helping police to establish Mr Arshad's movements after he landed in Bangkok. Detectives have admitted they do not know if he has flown on to another country.

A husband and wife, aged 40 and 35, from Burnage, Manchester, who were arrested and questioned by police have since been freed on police bail.

Officers are appealing to anyone who has seen anything suspicious at the house, or who has any further information on Rahan's whereabouts, to contact the major incident room on 0161 856 7834 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Shocked friends and neighbours talk of devoted father

NEIGHBOURS and friends of the Arshad family spoke of their devastation and sadness over the murders.

Many paid tribute to missing Rahan Arshad who was described as a devoted father.

A friend of one of the children said the last time he saw Abbas Arshad was on the last day of the school term.

Hassan Irsha, eight, said: "We played together, he was very kind. We were friends."

Hassan's mother Rafat said: "Hassan was very upset when he heard the news. What has happened is horrible."

The dead children were were all pupils at Cavendish Road primary school in West Didsbury, and had previously attended Acacias primary in Burnage, both Manchester.

Suzannah Reeves, chair of governors at Cavendish Road, said: "This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the children's family and friends. They were lovely children who were well-liked during their two years at Cavendish and they had many friends in the school.

Their tragic death is a shock to staff who enjoyed teaching them and to the whole school community."

Staff at Lancasterian School in West Didsbury, where Uzma worked as a dinner lady, also spoke of their shock.

Assistant head teacher Julie Warren said: "Uzma was a valued and respected member of staff. She was very popular with staff and pupils. Her dedication to all aspects of school life was a real credit to her personality. We are all deeply upset by the news and she will be sadly missed."

Shelley Latham described herself as Arshad's "best friend". She said he was a "loving, quiet family man".

"I don't believe for a minute he would hurt his kids - he idolised them," she added.

"I spoke to him a few weeks ago when he had just come back from Spain.
"He said he was going to take the kids to Blackpool because they'd never been there before and they wanted to go on the rides and the donkeys.

"When I saw the papers I couldn't speak, I was absolutely gobsmacked. No way would he touch those kids. He was very, very quiet; a very private man."

Shelley, a caterer who works in Didsbury, said Arshad and his wife had experienced difficulties but were trying to work things out.

She said: "He was trying to patch things up with his wife. He loved her to bits. He had always had feelings for her."

Azar Iqbal, who works for Manchester Car Audio on Stockport Road in Levenshulme, said he had done some work on Arshad's BMW two months before he disappeared.

He added: "I have known him for a number of years and I have done quite a bit of work for him, including tinting the windows of one of his cars.
"I have also met him at weddings and other occasions. He used to drive a black Honda Civic and I think he bought the BMW for his wife.

He worked for Tripps Taxis in Didsbury and used to drive an M-reg white Toyota Corolla for them."

The families next-door neighbour at their former home on Burnage Lane said: "You've never seen three more beautiful kids in your life, especially Henna. She was gorgeous. And both parents were friendly enough. They used to come over with food for us - curry and rice mainly."

Neighbours reported that Uzma and the children had lived for a short time at a sheltered home in Cheadle Hulme.

They claimed she had told them that around £75,000 had been wiped from her account while she was at her father's funeral in Pakistan about 12 months ago.

One neighbour said: "The poor woman didn't have any money - that's why she ended up in sheltered accommodation."

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