A GANG has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a grandfather from Bolton while he was visiting family in Pakistan.

Four men are understood to be on trial in a Pakistani court following the incident last May.

Jameel Ahmed, aged 74, an active and respected member of the community, was brutally beaten and tied up by armed robbers.

He was attacked by a gang of men armed with metal bars and bats who broke in to the house where he was staying with his wife, Fatima, in the capital, Islamabad.

His wife suffered a fractured skull after a blow to the back of her head.

Mr Ahmed, who lived in Green Avenue, Great Lever, died three days after the attack and was buried in Pakistan.

Following his death, his family vowed those responsible for the horrific crime be brought to justice.

They paid for a forensic team and sniffer dogs to gather information.

Mr Ahmed’s son, Sajid, aged 42, remained in Pakistan for months afterwards, following up leads.

His daughter, Sarah Akram, aged 41, who lives in Farnworth, said: “The trial is now under way and is expected to end by the end of next month.

“My mum went over to give evidence at court. She did very well, she was cross-examined and managed to answer all the questions.

“It was stressful for her to go through that and it did make her ill.

But she said it was so important to bring the people who did this to justice.

“She has lost her husband and the person who looked after her.”

Mrs Akram added: “My dad was a great man and did so much for the community, even we did not know how much he did.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of reports the trial is on going is and we have provided consular assistance to the next of kin.”

Mr Ahmed was a community leader in Great Lever, and a governor at SS Simon and Jude’s CE Primary School.

Next month a plaque in memory to Mr Ahmed will be placed in the school’s community room in memory of the work he did in and out of school.