Man arrested under suspicion of killing woman in Ilford

Zara Aleena (Image by Metropolitan Police/PA)

A man has been arrested under suspicion of murdering a woman who was walking along Cranbrook Road towards Gants Hill station in East London during the early hours of Sunday.

Zara Aleena, 35, was found with life-threatening head injuries by people from the surrounding area who called the emergency services. They arrived at the scene in Ilford at 2.44 am and she was treated by the paramedics who then took her to a nearby hospital.

However, Aleena breathed her last on Sunday. The Metropolitan Police released the devastating news stating that she had succumbed to her injuries and was a “victim of an attack by a stranger”. The police also confirmed that they had arrested a man who resides in Ilford in connection with the incident.

Senior Officer for Policing in the East area, Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, said, “As you will be aware we are investigating the tragic murder of a woman in Ilford in the early hours of Sunday morning.”

“I can confirm that pending formal identification, we believe the victim to be a local 36-year-old woman named Zara Aleena.”

“We are keeping Zara’s family up to date with our progress and my heartfelt condolences are with them at this terrible time.”

“Zara, who lived locally, was walking along Cranbrook Road in the direction of Gants Hill station when she was assaulted”

“It is now believed that she was the victim of an attack by a stranger.

“Her family are aware of this and as the investigation progresses they will continue to be updated and supported,” he confirmed.

Furthermore, Chief Superintendent Bell added that no weapons had been found which were used to attack Aleena.

He concluded by saying, “Our priorities are to ensure the safety of the local community and to engage locally with residents and people affected.”

“We will be working closely with partners and locally elected representatives to do all we can to make people in this area feel safe and tackle offenders who harm people and cause alarm in our community.”

According to PA news agency, there have been 43 homicides in London alone this year. However, this figure is lower than the first six months of documented cases in 2021 (63 incidents) and 2020 (56 incidents).