Taxi driver attacked close to scene of Birmingham cabbie murder

Police are investigating a second violent attack on a private hire driver in the same area and only days after Mohammed Arshad was brutally murdered.

Father-of-four Ansar Naeem was repeatedly punched in the face and head in the assault in Shannon Road, in Kings Norton – where Mr Arshad’s vehicle was dumped after he was stabbed in the head. The two incidents are not being linked by police.

Birmingham’s taxi and private hire industry wants talks with police about driver security.

This latest incident happened shortly before 4am on Saturday, little more than 48 hours after Mr Arshad was found fatally injured. It is understood Mr Naeem, from Solihull-based Galaxy Able Cars, had picked up a fare in Bells Lane, Druids Heath, a short time earlier and drove to Shannon Road.

A female passenger got out of the vehicle leaving a man behind. He said he was waiting for his friends before attacking the 38-year-old Sparkhill driver.

He then ran off and disappeared in the network of flats.

Fellow driver and friend Imran Hussain said: “This guy started hitting him in the back of the head for no reason. He got thumped pretty bad and had blood coming from his mouth.

“He had quite a few bruises on the back of the head. He was really badly shaken up and has not come back to work since. He’s a family man with four kids

“I couldn’t believe it when he called emergency. When I got there I could see it was in almost exactly the same spot as where Mr Arshad’s car was found. It’s shocking it happened in the same area and only two days after the murder.”

West Midlands Police said the driver received a cut to the head that required hospital treatment.

Father-of-three Mr Arshad was found with stab wounds to the head in Wast Hills Lane, Hopwood, on the Birmingham-Worcestershire border, at 8.50pm last Wednesday.