M54 body: Police renew appeal over mystery of Oldbury man Surjit Takhar

The family of Surjit Takhar have paid tribute to the man with " big heart and a charismatic smile".

Mr Takhar was 37 when he was reported missing from his home in Oldbury on October 8, 2008.

He was last seen by his family nine days before and a detailed investigation was carried out at the time of his disappearance.

But nearly seven years later, maintenance workers found his remains at the bottom of an embankment next to the slip road of junction 4 of the M54 for Shifnal on August 20 2015

In January of this year, following a full forensic examination, a DNA profile, along with dental records, West Mercia Police confirmed the remains were those of Mr Takhar, however the cause of his death has still not been explained.

Mr Takhar was a father of three and a much loved brother and son. His sister Saroj Binning said: "Surjit, known as Skin amongst family and friends, had a big heart and a charismatic smile. He had a wide circle of friends in the Asian community.

"We as a family are determined to find who is responsible for his death. We are committed to gain justice for our brother Surjit. He is missed as a loving father, a brother and a son."

His children Harry Takhar, aged 21, and 23-year-old twins Sohnia and Sohnay, joined the appeal for the public's help.

They said: "Please can you help us get justice for our father so we can finally lay him to rest? If anyone has any information, can you please come forward?

"We have missed out on having our father in or lives for the last eight years, not knowing where he was, why he wasn't in our lives and whether he was dead or alive.

"Now we know what happened, please could someone come forward with information on how this tragedy occurred, so we can put an end to our nightmare."

Detectives are re-appealing for information which will help then uncover how Mr Takhar died.

Detective Inspector Jim Munro, from West Midlands force CID, said: "We would like to hear from anyone who has information about Mr Takhar's whereabouts around the time he disappeared.

"Crucially a phone call was made to police in January earlier this year from a caller who said they had information but no details were taken, so I would urge that person to call us again.

"Also I would like to hear from anyone who saw something suspicious on the M54 around junction 4, but didn't think anything of it at the time."

Anyone with information should call detectives on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.