Over 1,500 Attend Ikram Elahi Funeral
A procession of over 1,500 attended the funeral of murder victim Ikram Elahi, who was stabbed to death after a violent street altercation earlier this month.
Family and friends paid tribute to the Sparkbrook father, whose funeral was held at Small Heath’s Ghamkol Sharif Mosque, which was then followed by a private burial at Handsworth Cemetery.
Uncle, Ambar Gul called for calm in the community, said: “Bad makes bad, good makes good. The community can only do so much. There is a lack of jobs. The devil has his price.”
Safdar Raman, a friend of the family, said, “There are young people out there who think we are living in a jungle, but we are not. We are living in a civilized society and young people should appreciate that. They see young people in big cars and they want them. We need a successful boxer or athlete to show them the right way to make their mark.”
A cousin described Ikram as “gentle, polite and well-behaved”. I hope this stops, but I fear this will continue. Ikram was a good, hard-working man. He came home from work, got changed and went out. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Supt. Bas Javid of West Midlands Police said: “We appreciate how unsettling this is for the community. We would encourage people not to speculate and, again, I would reiterate that there is nothing to suggest this will spark any further disorder.”
“We remain in close liaison with local communities and we are listening to any concerns they may have as well as keeping them as up to date with the investigation as possible.”
Detectives have charged two men with the murder.
