THE family of a man murdered in a Blackburn street have told of their grief at losing a son who was ‘one in a million’.

Saheel Ahmed was ‘the nicest person you could ever meet’ and respected in the community for his work at a mosque where he led prayers, friends and family said.

Last night a post-mortem examination established he died from multiple injuries.

He had suffered a number of stab wounds, police said.

Murder squad detectives are now working flat out to find Mr Ahmed’s killers and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Mr Ahmed was attacked after being chased through the streets of Blackburn and cornered in an alley.

The 24-year-old's body was found in Little Harwood in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Yesterday afternoon his devastated friends and relatives gathered in the street outside his home in Accrington Road, Blackburn.

Mr Ahmed's father Zahoor Ahmed, said: “He was my oldest son and he was the nicest person you will ever meet.

"Everybody loved him and no-one ever had any complaints about him.

“He was kind and very religious and for the last few years he led the prayers at the local mosque.”

The father-of-six said Saheel’s mother Kauser had gone into shock after hearing the news of her son’s death.

Mr Ahmed, 46, said: “We were totally devastated and it is not sinking in at the moment. His mother will not be able to survive without her son. He had the greatest personality and was one of the best people you were ever likely to meet.”

His uncle, Waseem Hussain, added: “He is going to be missed because he was so well respected. We hope the police catch whoever did this. It will put us at rest but it will never be the same without him.”

Saheel had been married to Sidra for around one year and worked for Manpower at the BT centre in Blackburn town centre for the past two years. He previously went to Norden High School in Rishton.

Mr Ahmed, who was a Hafiz, having learnt the Koran off by heart, was a regular at the Chester Street mosque, where he had led prayer sessions.

His friend Tanny Khan, 29, owner of the Hot and Tender takeaway, Accrington Road, said the community had been left shocked.

He said: “I knew him from when he was a very young child and he comes from a very well-respected family.

“He was a very quiet lad and extremely polite and it is a real shame that this has happened. It is a tragedy.”

Audley councillor Zamir Khan said he knew the family very well.

He said: "I offered him whatever help I could as his councillor.”

Coun Khan said Mr Ahmed's wife had recently moved to the area from Pakistan.

He described Mr Ahmed as a popular young man, who was well-respected in Chester Street mosque.

Another ward councillor, Yusuf Jan-Virmani, said he remembered Mr Ahmed working in local takeaways.

He said: “He used to lead prayers at the mosque and a lot of the younger people looked up to him.”

Coun Jan-Virmani said he was at a loss to know why Mr Ahmed had been targeted.

He said: “We need to let the police investigate.”

People living near the scene of the crime in Little Harwood have been left shocked.

Mo Patel, 25, who lives near Warrington Street, said: “We never have trouble like this in the area.

“They are nice, normal people here and it’s a very close community. Sometimes people come from other areas and cause trouble but this is a complete shock.”

Police were last night appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Officers are exploring several possibilities, one of which is that the murder could have been ‘honour related’.

Witnesses said Mr Ahmed, was apparently trying to flee his killer before he was caught in an alley at the top of Warrington Street.

Police were called following reports of a ‘disturbance’ and his body was found at around 2am.

A spokesman said: "A post mortem has revealed the cause of death to be multiple injuries.

"Mr Ahmed had suffered a number of stab wounds consistent with the use of a bladed weapon."

Call police on 01254 51212 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 with information.