Inquiry launched into Indian-origin taxi driver's death in Auckland

Auckland, Jan. 31 (ANI): A homicide inquiry has been launched in the death of an Indian-origin taxi driver in Auckland suburbs in the early hours of this morning.

The victim has been identified as Hiren Mohini, a 39-year-old Mount Roskill resident.

Mohini was driving an Auckland Co-op taxi, which veered off the road and hit a tree around 1.30 a.m. Other taxis arrived at the scene within minutes after an internal emergency device inside the taxi was triggered on impact, the New Zealand Herald reports.

View Road residents who were woken by the crash rushed to help Mohini and remove him from the vehicle. Emergency services were also called but he died at the scene.

A post mortem examination carried out today revealed that Mohini had a stab wound to his torso.

Witnesses revealed that a young male was seen running towards Esplanade Road immediately after the crash, police say.

The man they are seeking is described as a slimly-built, dark-skinned male in his mid to late twenties with long, greasy hair to the back of his neck.

He was wearing a long-sleeved button-up shirt, dark denim jeans and black leather shoes and was carrying a black bag with a strap. Police believe the man hired Mohini's taxi in the CBD at about 1.20am and they are assessing security surveillance footage for more information.

Auckland Co-operative Taxi Society chairman Ian Graham said the society was "deeply saddened by the tragic case of Mohini this morning".

"He was a very quiet, reserved gentleman. A true family man, loved his family, and all he was doing was going about trying to earn an honest living doing a public service," he said.

Graham said Mohini left a wife, a mother and two young daughters, aged five and two. (ANI)