Pictured: Victims of triple stabbing in Seven Kings

20 January 2020, 19:42 | Updated: 20 January 2020, 21:28

The victims of a triple stabbing in Ilford have been locally named and pictured.

The three men, who are believed to be known to one another, were found slumped at the bottom of a pedestrian walkway in Elmstead Road near Seven Kings station, Ilford just before 7.40pm yesterday.

Detectives say they are keeping an open mind about motive, but it is believed the fight broke out between groups of Sikh men.

Harinder Kumar, far left, Balijit Singh, middle, and Narinder Singh, right, were all pronounced dead at the scene.

The Evening Standard reports their ages are 22, 34 and 26 respectively.

Two men aged 29 and 39 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently being held by police.

Officers said they believe the incident was "not gang or race-related" but there "may have been an ongoing dispute between those involved."

Speaking exclusively to LBC News, a passerby, Sabih Qureshi, who heroically tried to resuscitate the victims said they had been stabbed in the neck, shoulder and chest.

He also claims he saw weapons at the scene including knives and a hammer.

Mr Qureshi added: "They were laying down, bloody. One was dead at this point, just beside the car on the footpath, and two of them were just beside the stairs.

"They were badly injured and they were shivering. The knife had gone in the neck, in the shoulder and chest. The head was damaged by the hammer and all the hand was scratched by the knife."

The Ilford resident said he did not recognise any of the attackers and only saw the three men laying down on the street.

When asked whether he was scared, he replied: "Yes for sure, it's not a cat or dog; it's a human being with blood."

His cousin also called the police at the scene.

The passer-by added that he tried giving one of the victims him CPR but one was dead "on the spot."He said "three or four more people" were also at the scene administering first aid.

Another resident told LBC that he heard a man screaming: “Help me, help me, help me” as he lay dying in the street.

Hardev Singh said: “I could just hear someone crying help me, help me, help me - the police got there five or six minutes later, it’s very shocking.”

Mr Camacho wrote online: 'Trust me they are gone. The two men eyes fully open not moving and bleeding from his neck. Bloody everywhere.'

He told his followers to be careful if they were in the area.

Labour Leader of Redbridge Council Jas Athwal posted: "A deeply distressing night has just got a lot worse. Deeply saddened by the deaths of 3 young men in Seven kings as a result of knife crime.

"I have asked for extra police resources. The Mayor has promised every help that is needed and the council will assist in any way it can."

Deputy leader of Redbridge Council Kam Rai wrote online: "Horrific, 3 men stabbed in Seven Kings / Goodmayes area. Knife crime is becoming all too common, we need a national strategy and more police resource now."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said today: "The horrific triple stabbing in Seven Kings in Redbridge last night is a tragic reminder of the evil scourge of knife crime that continues to plague our entire country.

“I have been working closely with senior Met police officers, Redbridge Council and the local MP on the response overnight and will do everything possible to support the local community in Seven Kings through this extremely difficult time.

“The only way we will tackle knife crime for good is with a laser-like focus on catching criminals by being tough on crime and, just as importantly, by addressing the underlying root causes of violence such as poverty, inequality and social alienation.

"This will require a huge increase in Government funding for public services.”

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine, who is leading the investigation, said: “We are still in the early stages of this investigation but are working tirelessly to understand the full circumstances that led to three men losing their lives.

“We now believe all those involved were known to each other and from the Sikh and Hindu community, however we are still in the process of identifying the men and working to inform their next of kin.

“At this early stage, I do not believe this was gang or race-related. But, I believe there may have been an ongoing dispute between those involved. We believe the five men were involved in an altercation the previous evening at Krystel Banqueting that spilled out onto the High Road.

"I would encourage anyone in the local communities who knows what the motivation for this attack was, or to anyone who may have seen an altercation late on Saturday evening at Krystel Banqueting, or the incident itself on Salisbury Road, to contact us and tell us what they know."