Detectives investigating the murder of a 35-year-old woman say she was ambushed and brutally attacked by a stranger.
The victim of the attack in Ilford, east London, has now been named as Zara Aleena. She lived locally and was walking towards a train station in the early hours of Sunday morning when she was murdered, the Mirror reports.
Police swarmed Cranbrook Road at around 2.44am after receiving a call from the London Ambulance Service. The woman was found by members of the public and had suffered serious head injuries.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics and doctors in hospital, she died later on Sunday morning. Police believe that no weapons were used in the attack.
A 29-year-old man has now been arrested on suspicion of murder. He was arrested at an address in Ilford on Monday afternoon and remains in police custody.
"The investigation into this murder is being led by a team of homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command," said Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell from the Met Police. "Since the attack, officers have worked every hour to determine more about the circumstances – we are determined to catch the person responsible.
"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."
A special post mortem exam has now been completed and it was found Zara had suffered multiple serious injuries that contributed to her death. Zara's family, who are aware of the investigation, are being supported by specially trained officers.
"A full forensic examination of the scene and the surrounding area, house to house enquiries and a focus on identifying all available CCTV has been taking place since yesterday and local people will continue to see a significant police presence over the coming days and weeks," added CI Bell. "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. We know people are concerned and we are determined make our public spaces safer in this area.
"My genuine thanks go to everyone in the community for their patience and resilience. Our neighbourhood officers will be making themselves available over the coming days to speak to the community and people affected locally."
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