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Body parts in curries: the truth

John Fahey
16/12/2004

A TOP murder detective has dispelled the myth that body parts of mutilated murder victim Zainab Begum were added to food at an Accrington takeaway.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Brunskill said there was no evidence that the chopped-up body of the mum-of-six had been served in curries, pizzas and kebabs at the Millennium takeaway in Church Street, despite her blood being found in the kitchen.

Mr Brunskill, who led the murder hunt, said detectives had checked all meat at the takeaway and were satisfied none of it was human, despite "sensationalist" reports in national tabloid newspapers.

He was speaking after Mrs Begum's son-in-law Muhammed Arshad, who worked full-time as a butcher at Holland's Pies, was jailed for life for what he described as one of the cruellest murders he had ever seen. He said: "He is a cold-blooded, calculating, dangerous individual."

Arshad's brother Mohammed Khan got seven years for helping to dispose of her remains.

Mr Brunskill pledged to re-interview Arshad, 37, and Khan, 38, in prison in a bid to solve the mystery of what happened to Mrs Begum's remains.

This week her six daughters vowed never to mention the pair's names again. They paid tribute to their mum, saying she was their "life and whole world".

They said: "We are proud to be her daughters. Mum was always there, shielding us from the bad and guiding us to the good."