A local community has come together to raise thousands of pounds for the family of a restaurant owner who sadly died after a carjacking in Stockport this past weekend.
Haji Mohammed Heydayatul Islam – a 53-year-old father known as Nowab Miah from Hyde, Tameside – was delivering a meal on Friday 8th January in Romiley was run over whilst trying to stop his car being taken at around 9pm on Hazel Avenue.
A murder inquiry has begun and a 14-year-old boy – who was arrested on suspicion of robbery – remains in police custody.
Police are also searching for a silver Mercedes which was stolen.
The family of Mr Miah asked that the community on social media to “keep us in your prayers and allow [us] to come to terms with this loss”.
Following news of the tragic event which shocked the region, tributes have been pouring in for Mr Miah – who owned popular Indian restaurant and takeaway Marple Spice in Marple – after it was revealed he had died in hospital on Sunday.
In a touching tribute posted to Facebook on Sunday, Mr Miah’s son Shaf Nowab said: “I am saddened to announce that my father, my mentor, my role model Haji Mohammed Hedayatul Islam known as Nowab Miah to his friends has sadly left this world surrounded by close family.
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“Many of you will be aware of the recent incident that occurred in Romiley.
“My father is the person that it occurred with [and] he was just doing his last delivery for our restaurant before he went home [so] I would like to thank everyone in the community for their prayers and regards, and me and my family genuinely appreciate everything you have said.”
Local residents have also since launched a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising money and showing their support for Mr Miah’s family and for charity causes close to his heart.
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The description of the GoFundMe page reads: “As a community we are all saddened to hear that a precious life has been lost. Donations will be used towards fulfilling the wishes of the gentleman, who especially wanted to help the Children of Bangladesh.”
More than 450 people have donated to the fundraiser, which has already reached over £6,000 and counting.
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Police are appealing to the public to come forward with any information.
Chief Inspector Liam Boden – of Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team – said: “This is an extremely tragic case which has rocked the community and left a family utterly devastated. We believe there may have been others involved in the incident and a number of lines of enquiry are continuing to be carried out in order for us to find those responsible.
“We’re still asking the public to come forward with any information that may assist us – even the smallest bit of information can prove vital.
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“Anyone who may have seen a silver Mercedes in the area at the time or may have seen it in suspicious circumstances since is asked to get in touch – this vehicle could prove vital in our investigation.
“We’re also keen for anyone with any CCTV or dash-cam footage to get in touch.”
Anyone with information should call 0161 856 9821 or 0161 856 9790 quoting log number 2499 of 08/01/2021, or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
You can also donate to the GoFundMe page for Mr Miah’s family here.
News
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
The Manc -
11th January 2021 
