A £10,000 reward has been offered by the Sikh community for information leading to the conviction of two men being sought over the alleged “racially motivated” rape of a woman in her 20s.
The Sikh Federation UK said the reward was being offered alongside a community poster campaign urging members of the public with dashcam, CCTV and doorbell camera footage to contact West Midlands police.
A statement issued by the federation said: “The Sikh community has in response now put out its own appeal and put up a reward of £10,000 for information leading to the arrest and successful conviction of the two men involved.
“Sikh media are also carrying the appeal and information about the reward on community television.”
Police inquiries are continuing into the alleged rape in the Tame Road area of Oldbury, near Birmingham, shortly before 8.30am.
The leaders of Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations wrote this week to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, expressing concern about the pace of the investigation.
Specialist detectives have examined hundreds of hours of CCTV, and forensic experts are also carrying out extensive inquiries.
A man in his 30s who had been arrested on suspicion of rape was released this week on police bail. The Sikh Federation said there was “huge community frustration and anger” that neither of the alleged attackers were in custody.
Appealing for witnesses and information at the scene on Thursday, Ch Supt Kim Madill, the policing commander for the Sandwell area, said: “We again appeal to anyone in the area where we are today who may have seen two white men around the time of 8.30am. One had a shaved head and a heavy build and was reported to be wearing a dark-coloured sweatshirt and had gloves on. The second man was reportedly wearing a grey top with a silver zip.”
