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Award hiked for info on Hannah killer
Tracing the murder suspect of teenager Hannah Foster, Hampshire Police has raised their reward contribution to Rs 5 million.
Having not found any success in tracing the murder suspect of teenager Hannah Foster, detectives investigating the murder have increased the reward for information leading to the capture of the man suspected of her murder.
Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, 35, had fled to Punjab, days after the body of 17-year-old was found in March. She had been raped and strangled. Interpol and Indian police are still searching for Kohli.
Hampshire Police has now raised their reward contribution to Rs 45 lakhs, which, added to a further Rs 5 lakhs offered by The Sun newspaper, brings the total to Rs 5 million, or just under £70,000.
Detectives are hoping that this huge reward will help them trace the suspect. A £14,000 reward was offered in September last year without success.
Kohli is suspected of abducting, raping and murdering Hannah on March 14 last year. Hannah was abducted as she walked home alone after a night out with friends in Southampton. Her body was found two days later by a roadside in Allington Lane, West End, near Southampton.
Kohli, married and father-of-two, of Southampton, is believed to have fled to India on March 18, two days after Hannah's body was found.
Hampshire detectives are continuing to liaise with Interpol and police in the Punjab, who are leading the hunt to locate Kohli in India.
Detective Superintendent Alan Betts, who is leading the hunt for the fugitive, said: "This is a huge sum of money by any standards and we are hoping it will encourage information and help from the public both here and, most importantly, in India where it could take a skilled worker two lifetimes to earn this kind of money.
"The reward is to be paid for information leading to the arrest of Kohli or for facilitating his willing surrender to custody. Payment would not be considered appropriate if he were to be tricked or coerced into leaving any country in which he is currently residing, thereby avoiding the legal safeguards of the extradition process.
"We fully understand that it is a huge and diverse country, but somebody must know where Kohli is and we appeal to them now to come forward and help us bring an end to this search.
"This increase in the reward reflects Hampshire Constabulary's continuing commitment and determination to locate Kohli and bring him back to the UK to face justice, for the sake of Hannah and her family," said Mr Betts.
Detectives have even released Indian telephone numbers asking people with any knowledge of Kohli to contact Punjab police.
Assistant Inspector General (Crime) Mann Singh of the Punjab Police is to be contacted on one of the following telephone numbers: 0172 740 971 , 0172 220 244 , 0172 740 298 (Punjab Police Control Room).
