Father of Two Run Down and Dragged 40 Metres in Brutal Hit-and-Run

Balbir Matharu, a 54-year-old father of two, was killed in a daylight hit-and-run in east London after trying to stop thieves from stealing a radio from his van. The incident occurred on Thursday last week in Francis Street, Stratford, when Matharu, who worked at a builders' merchants nearby, noticed his Mercedes van being broken into. As he attempted to stop the thieves, he was run down and dragged 40 metres along the road underneath a car.

Key Takeaways:

• The incident occurred on Thursday last week in Francis Street, Stratford, east London.
• Balbir Matharu, a 54-year-old father of two, was killed after trying to stop thieves from stealing a radio from his van.
• The thieves smashed the passenger window and attempted to steal the stereo, but Matharu tried to stop them.
• Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald said the marks on the road confirm that Matharu was dragged along for about 40 metres under the car.
• The thieves made off north along Francis Street and turned left into Maryland Street.
• Matharu's injuries were described as "very serious and what you would expect from being hit by a car that has gone from a standing start to increasing its speed."
• The driver of the car will have known exactly what happened and must have intentionally run over Matharu.
• The police are hunting two people over Matharu's death and are looking for a green Ford Mondeo that was seen racing from the scene.
• Matharu's wife and daughter, who work close to the scene, were among the first people to arrive and found him bleeding and badly injured.
• A postmortem was held on Friday at East Ham mortuary.

Statistics:

• The incident occurred in Francis Street, Stratford, east London.
• Balbir Matharu was 54 years old at the time of his death.
• He was a father of two.
• The thieves stole a radio from Matharu's van.
• Matharu was dragged 40 metres along the road underneath the car.
• The marks on the road confirm the drag distance.
• Matharu's van was parked in Francis Street shortly before midday.
• The incident occurred on Thursday last week.
• A postmortem was held on Friday at East Ham mortuary.

Sources:

• Riazat Butt, "Father ran over by thieves as he tried to stop radio being stolen", The Guardian, No date provided (exact quote: "Detectives were last night hunting two people over the death of Balbir Matharu, 54, who had serious internal injuries and died from "multiple blunt trauma".")