Hardeep Sanger

Hardeep Sanger was killed in his taxi cab near Heathow Airport on 31 March 1984.

He had been stabbed 33 times in the rear seat of his Yellow car. He was found dead in his cab on a slip road off the A30 near Heathrow Airport at about 2am on 31 March 1984.

He had been a driver with Bluestar Minicabs in Martindale Road, Hounslow West, where he had been helping out his father-in-law, driving part-time on weekday evenings.

The cars with the company had not been equipped with radios, and so after each fare they had to return to the office for new instructions.

Hardeep Sanger had returned to the office of Bluestar Minicabs in Martindale Road in the evening of 30 March 1984, the day before the Grand National.

He had already made about a dozen journeys that night and had returned to the office to wait for further calls. Then, at about midnight, a man rang from a phonebox not far away and asked for a cab to take him to Feltham, saying that he was at a phonebox near some traffic lights on the Great West Road by the Lampton Road junction.

At about the same time, a tall soldier and two young girls called at the Bluestar office and asked to be taken to Feltham.

However, due to inconsistencies with the Bluestar log sheets, it wasn't known which call Hardeep Sanger responded to first.

It was noted that the phonebox on the Great West Road had been near the Boom Boom Wine Bar and the Heathrow Tandoori Curry House and it was thought that customers might have noticed a man nearby waiting for a cab.

As Feltham was only about four miles away, it was also thought that Hardeep Sanger could have done both trips, or even picked up someone else in the Feltham area.

The next thing that was known about his movements for certain was that his car ran out of petrol on a slip road off the A30. However, by that time he was dead. It was thought that his killer had been driving and had then got out andf tried to open the boot, but couldn't as he couldn't get the keys out of the ignition, and that he then walked away, possibly hitching a ride.

The car was found soon after at about 2am, with Hardeep Sanger slumped behind the passenger seat, having been stabbed to death.

It was determined that some credit cards were missing, along with a small amount of money.

It was thought that his murder could have been racially motivated.

The police said that they thought that he had been murdered by a tall man, but they didn't say why they thought that.

It was also thought that his murderer had been a knife freak. The police found a replica Commando knife under the front passenger seat of Hardeep Sanger's car. The police said that they knew that it wasn't Hardeep Sanger's knife, but noted similarly that it wasn't the murder weapon. 

The police also found another knife, a US M3 American Army trench knife that was issued to American Commandos. It was found about 2¼ further along the A3, Springwell Road, Hounslow, behind a GPO junction box, and the police said that they were satisfied that it was the murder weapon. It was found by a 12-year-old boy later the same day that Hardeep Sanger was found dead. The blade was 6 inches long.

The police said that they thought that after killing Hardeep Sanger that his murderer had walked along the A30 after dumping the car between the airport perimeter road and the A30. They said:

The police appealed for anyone who noticed anything suspicious on 31 March 1984 between 1.45am and 11am, when the knife was found, in the area of Springwell Road, to come forward.

It was further noted that Hardeep Sanger had been carrying with him a ceremonial knife that evening because he was a Sihk, however, it was determined to have been missing a nd possibly stolen.

The police also found some small pocket watch keys in the back of his cab, and whilst the police said they didn't know if they were connected with the murder, they were keen to try and trace where they had come from.

The police later appealed for any information about a man who made the call from Great West Road by the Lampton Road junction.

It was also noted that three people had been seen near the car after it was abandoned on the A30, and the police appealed for them to come forward, they were:

1. About 12.45am a man in his 50s was seen jogging in a red track suit.
2. About 1.45am a man with bushy hair and a bushy beard was seen exercising his dead.
3. About 1.45am a man in his late 30s or early 40s, in a two-piece grey suit with grey or sandy coloured hair, was seen standing right next to the car.

It was also reported that a mini-cab driver said that he picked up a man at about 3.300am on 31 March 1984 at Fordbridge Road, Ashford who asked to be taken to Norwood Green. He said that men had been wearing a blue three piece suit and had been covered with blood stains. He added that the man lay down in the back seat of his car and asked whether he had noticed any police about.

It was noted that the route taken by the cab-driver would have almost certainly have got right past the spot where Hardeep Sanger was found in his cab.

The man was described as:

• 6ft tall.
• Aged 27-30.
• Strongly built.
• Auburn or ginger hair.

An artists impression of the man was released.

The police later said that the possibility that one man was responsible for both the murders of Hardeep Sanger and Stephen sylvester, had not been dismised. They said:

They noted that both men had been stabbed and robbed, even though neither carried much cash, and left in their cars.