Six arrests have been made in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Shanur Ahmed in Newham

Five teenage boys and one man, all from Newham, were arrested on suspicion of murder following warrants carried out on the morning of Friday, 6 March.

Shanur’s family have been informed of the arrests and continue to receive support from specialist officers.

An investigation was launched after Shanur was discovered unresponsive in an area of scrubland, at the rear of Gallions Reach DLR Station, Atlantis Avenue, E6 on Tuesday, 3 March.

Police were called by London Ambulance Service (LAS) at 08:38hrs after he was found with head injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The murder investigation is led by Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command.

A post-mortem examination carried out at East Ham mortuary on Thursday, 5 March, established cause of death as a head injury.

Shanur had been reported missing by his family in the early hours of Tuesday, after he did not return to his home in Manor Park, E12.

Due to Shanur having been reported as a missing person, the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office of Police Conduct were informed.

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Details of arrests made on Friday, 6 March – all remain in police custody: [A] 17-year-old boy [B] 17-year-old boy [C] 17-year-old boy [D] 16-year-old boy [E] 20-year-old man [F] 16-year-old boy

[A], [B], [C] and [D] were also arrested on suspicion of robbery, following an incident in Prince Regent Lane, E13 at 16.55hrs on Monday, 2 March which is currently being treated as linked to the murder investigation.

During this incident, a boy in his late teens was stabbed. His injuries were not life threatening.

Officers are also aware of a call made to police at 19:50hrs on Monday, 2 March, where a member of the public reported seeing a group of about 30 males who were carrying baseball bats near Gallions Reach DLR station.

Officers attended and searched the area, but found no trace of the suspects.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith said:

”Enquiries continue at pace following the tragic death of another young person in London due to violence. I can provide every reassurance that my team is working as hard as possible to find answers for Shanur’s family.

“Lines of inquiry continue to include whether previous disputes or the large group of males seen near Gallions Reach DLR station around 20:00hrs on Monday evening, could be key to understanding what led to Shanur’s death.

“We re-iterate our appeal for anyone with information not to keep this to themselves and we are very keen to speak to anybody who was using the station at that time.

“It doesn’t matter whether you call us directly, or want to stay anonymous – just make the call and tell us what you know.”

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call detectives on 0208 345 3985 or make contact via Twitter @MetCC. Please quote CAD 1573/03MAR.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

If you have information that could help keep your community safe, but don’t want to speak to police, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111. They do not ask your name and cannot trace your call or I.P address.

Any young people who have information about violence or knife crime, can visit www.fearless.org where they can pass on information anonymously – your I.P address will not be traced. Fearless is part of the Crimestoppers charity, and is independent of the police.