Sixty-eight-year-old father of five and grandfather Mehar Singh Kataria lived a quiet life in a house on Byron Avenue in East Ham, east London. He was last seen alive by a neighbor at around nine a.m. on the morning of February 3rd, 2006. His body was discovered later that evening, at approximately eight p.m., by his son.
The murder was vicious: Mehar was first beaten over the head with a heavy blunt object, causing fatal injuries. After his death, the perpetrator(s) covered his upper body with a tablecloth and stabbed him repeatedly. There were no signs of forced entry or significant disturbance in the house, suggesting that Mehar may have let his killer(s) in voluntarily.
Investigators noted that only a small amount of cash—reportedly £200 in an envelope—was missing from the property, pointing to a possible robbery motive. However, the extreme violence, including the post-mortem stabbings, puzzled detectives and suggested a more personal element to the crime.
Detective Chief Inspector Carl Mehta, leading the investigation in 2006, stated: “Mr. Kataria was a security-conscious man with inner and outer front doors; he would only open the doors to people he was comfortable with and who spoke his first language.” Enquiries led police to believe the killer(s) were likely from the Asian community, possibly the Sikh community, where Mehar was well-known.
Police appealed for information about two men of Indian appearance seen in the area in the days leading up to the murder and standing in Mehar’s front garden on the day itself. They were described as in their early forties, wearing scruffy building-style clothes, with one having short grey hair and the other unkempt mid-length hair. They were heard speaking Punjabi with an Indian dialect.
A £20,000 reward was offered for information leading to a conviction, but no arrests were made. As of 2026, the Metropolitan Police continue to list the case as unsolved, with periodic appeals for information, but no significant developments.
Crime Immemorial 