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Police are working to enhance dark and distant images from crime camera footage that appears to show two people leaving the scene where taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari was stabbed to death in Christchurch early on Saturday morning.
The footage shows Mr Ikhtiari's United Taxi Co cab arriving at the area in Worcester Street, near the Barbadoes Street corner, and it is stopped there for a few minutes before the people are seen leaving.
The images appeared to show two people, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Johnson said today.
"It is very dark, at a distance, and there are some lighting issues. We are working with it, and we may be able to develop it further to see if we can see more detail," he told a press conference at the Christchurch Central Police Station this afternoon.
The pair might have had blood on their clothing, and they would now be agitated, abnormally interested in the killing and the police investigation, and their behaviour may have changed, he said.
He urged anyone who knew these people to discuss the matter with the police.
Although the original description of the apparent attackers had one of them wearing a bandanna, police were unsure if there were any gang connections.
Police are interested in people going through the area from midnight to 1am on Saturday morning. The crime camera footage shows a dark sedan passing by, heading for Fitzgerald Avenue, and police wanted to speak to the occupants.
The post mortem on Mr Ikhtiari indicates the weapon used to stab him in the chest had a blade at least 14cm long and about 2cm wide.
Mr Johnson appealed to occupants of properties in the area to contact the police if they found any items such as clothing, or a knife.
The inquiry is focusing on the identification of the two people seen leaving the area, and the movements of the taxi.
"We want to move this inquiry forward and get some closure for Mr Ikhtiari's family," he said.
Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said today he would speak to the Government about a loan scheme so that taxi drivers could purchase enhanced security gear.
Perpetrators of attacks of drivers were now armed, and knives were quite common, he told Radio New Zealand.
"The whole scene is getting far more dangerous than it was previously."
Taxi companies should insist on their drivers taking proper precautions to keep safe, he said.
There was proven technology, like screens and cameras in cabs, to keep drivers safe. But security gear was quite expensive and most drivers did not have a lot of money.
"I will be talking to the government about perhaps trying to introduce some sort of loan scheme that can enable this equipment to be purchased and paid off over time."
- NZPA
