POLICE investigating the murder of businessman Mohammed 'Tony' Karim and his wife Bilquis, still do not know the motive for the attack.

Scores of people have come forward following repeated appeals for help, but although detectives are pleased with the response, they still want to talk to customers who visited the Karims' jewellery shop on the day of the double murder.

And the man leading the inquiry says he is still keeping an open mind about what lay behind the crime.

Despite a family stocktake, which revealed £30,000 of jewellery was taken from Blackburn couple's shop, a range of motives are still being looked at.

The couple, from Whalley Old Road, Little Harwood, were found with multiple stab wounds at their shop on Church St, Preston on Friday afternoon.

Their bodies were discovered by their sons, Sharif and Shabir, who broke into the shop, 'Tony's Jewellers,' after their parents failed to collect their grandchildren from schools in Blackburn.

The family have offered a substantial reward in a bid to help catch the killers. And Shabir has issued an emotional appeal for information. He said: "The foundations of our family have now gone. These men need to be locked up, they need to be put behind bars."

Police are examining hours of film from CCTV cameras in the Church Street area for clues about people who visited the shop.

Acting Det Supt Mike Arnold said: "There is still no clear motive to these shocking and horrific killings. We are keeping an open mind on the case."

"The level of injuries the couple sustained are not those usually associated with a robbery and we have to keep an open mind."

Despite getting a good response from the public, Det Supt Arnold said officers are still keen to speak to anyone who was in the area - including those on local buses between 3pm and 5pm. "Any information, no matter how small it's perceived to be, could play a vital part in our inquiries," he explained.

More than 50 officers have now been drafted on to the inquiry and they are busy following up leads from the extensive publicity the case has generated.

"We'd ask people to be patient if they've called in with information and not been spoken to by an officer on the team," said Mr Arnold.

"We have a lot of information to act on but will speak with everyone who's called us.

"This is a large-scale investigation which is not focusing on any one part of Lancashire," he confirmed.

The murder is the first major crime to be featured on the Lancashire police internet website. Details of how the couple's bodies were found and other information about the crime are included, as well as an appeal for information.

Anyone with information on the incident should contact officers on Preston 01772 618800 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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