Police hunt for suspect draws blank

A floral tribute to taxi driver Hiren Mohini. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The detective heading the hunt for the man police believe stabbed an Auckland taxi driver to death in January has returned empty-handed from the country where the fugitive is hiding.

The name of the country cannot be identified for legal reasons, but a police source told NZPA yesterday that Detective Senior Sergeant Hywel Jones visited the country in an effort to track down the suspected killer of Hiren Mohini.

The 39-year-old father of two was stabbed after taking a fare from downtown Auckland to suburban Mt Eden on January 31.

The source said that although Mr Jones returned empty-handed, police were getting good co-operation from the country's authorities in their hunt for the alleged murderer.

The man was seen on a downtown security camera the night Mr Mohini was killed.

He was finally identified but by then he had fled New Zealand.

A fortnight after he left New Zealand, police searched his apartment in Auckland for clues and on February 26 a warrant was issued in the Auckland District Court for his arrest.

Several days after the warrant was issued, a suppression order was also issued in the district court banning publication of details of the man or his identity.

The country to which the suspect fled does not have an extradition treaty with New Zealand which could pose some difficulties if he is found and police want him brought back to New Zealand to stand trial.

Last month Mr Jones said he was confident of "tracking him down and bringing him to justice" and one possible option was that the man could stand trial in his home country.

But the aim was to bring him back to New Zealand for trial.

- NZPA