Victim’s sister wants justice

The sister of the 34-year-old man fatally stabbed after an alleged robbery on Wednesday night says ‘‘I need justice for my brother’’.

Janak Patel, of Hamilton, was attacked in the street near the Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham, at about 8pm, and later died. Police have launched a homicide investigation.

The family has been tightlipped, but has spoken out for the first time through an intermediary.

‘‘We urge the New Zealand Government to urgently catch the criminal who has taken our brother’s life and hold the murderer accountable and give him the toughest punishment,’’ she said. ‘‘I need justice for my brother’’.

Police are still hunting a lone man in dark clothing and released CCTV photographs on Thursday night of the alleged offender.

Patel was an employee of the store who was minding the shop while the owners were on holiday in India.

An autopsy was being conducted, Detective Inspector Scott Beard said yesterday.

Police are also continuing to ask for anyone who may have seen the altercation to come forward or who believe they saw the offender on foot, before or after the incident.

‘‘We also continue to appeal to those in the community who know who the offender is, to do the right thing and contact us,’’ Beard said.

Patel was a 34-year-old man who was working at the shop while the owners were away. He was newly married and in the prime of his life, according to president of the Dairy and Business Owners Group Sunny Kaushal.

‘‘The family are absolutely devastated by their loss,’’ Kaushal said. ‘‘His wife is so young, she’s traumatised. She hasn’t spoken since Wednesday night.’’

The victim’s family had recently come over to New Zealand for a holiday, he said.

Sandringham resident Mark Ward said on Tuesday night when he was visiting the dairy he saw someone new behind the counter. ‘‘I asked whether the family had gone back to India – everyone knows and loves them around here. And the young man said he was just minding the dairy while they were on holiday.’’

About 8pm on Wednesday night, a lone offender entered the dairy in what was believed to be a robbery, according to Beard.

Stuff has interviewed a family whose security system captured footage of the suspected killer, before and after the fatal attack.

According to them, footage shows the offender walking into the dairy carrying a brown paper bag.

The shop’s till was taken during the robbery and then the 34-year-old worker was stabbed, suffering critical injuries.

Police said the dairy worker was stabbed multiple times upon approaching the offender after the robbery. The offender had walked 100m down a residential street and dropped the stolen till in a rubbish bin.

Police said the victim then approached the offender where a fight took place. The offender stabbed the victim several times.

The attacker left with the wheelie bin, but the bleeding victim was able to make his way back 100m to the dairy and call emergency services.

Nobody else was in the shop at the time of the incident.

It’s understood the attacker was in the dairy for less than a minute.

It is possible that the man was walking around the area before and after the offence, police said.

Police were called and cordons were set up as the worker was rushed to hospital. He died a short time later, police said.