Police plead for public help in Hamilton death probe

By KEVIN TAYLOR

HAMILTON - Police say they have no leads in their hunt for the killer of Hamilton man Paropkari Lal, and they are desperate for public help.

Mr Lal's bloodied body was found on Saturday morning in Hamilton's Ferry Bank Park, near the band rotunda in Grantham St.

Detective Inspector Bruce Scott said police were looking for a weapon - probably a sharp knife.

Mr Lal died from extensive injuries to his throat.

The 70-year-old's family said yesterday that they had so far been unable to contact one of his sons, Tarsem Lal, who left Sydney for a holiday in India on the day Mr Lal's body was found.

They said Tarsem Lal would be unable to get to today's funeral.

Son-in-law Vijay Sharma said yesterday that Mr Lal was harmless and he could not understand why anyone would have wanted to kill him.



Surrounded by friends and family yesterday, Mr Sharma and one of Mr Lal's other sons, Joginder Pal, of Mangere, spoke of a man who had lived on his own since his wife died in 1991.

The New Zealand-born Indian lived alone in a Hamilton East flat and was happy there, Mr Sharma said.

He denied that Mr Lal was a loner, saying he had kept irregular contact with family members.

"He just came around when he wanted to. He came to visit me last month.

"He just wanted to live on his own; that was his way."

Mr Sharma said Mr Lal had done his job in marrying and raising a family, and had been happy by himself, where he was not a burden to anyone.

The family learned of the killing on Saturday night, by which time Tarsem Lal had flown from Sydney for a holiday to India.

Mr Sharma has not been able to contact him since, but hopes to reach him through relatives in India.

Mr Lal had five children - three sons and two daughters.

Mr Sharma said he knew nothing of the circumstances of Mr Lal's death, but thought the area where the body was found was unsafe.

"How could someone kill an old skinny man?" he said. "Why would they do this type of thing?"

Residents of apartments near the band rotunda were also concerned about their safety.

One local said recent indecent assaults on woman in the area had already made people wary.

Eight years ago, English tourist Margery Hopegood was fatally stabbed near the band rotunda.

But Detective Inspector Scott said police did not consider that the area had a major crime problem.

"It's just the same as any other part of town really," he said.

Many pedestrians used the area, and it was a common route to and from the central city.

Mr Scott said he hoped members of the public who had been in the area would come forward with information.

It did not matter how trivial it might seem.

Police yesterday completed a scene examination, and were continuing with other inquiries.