Second man held after police officer’s parents beaten to death at home

The 41-year-old was last night being questioned over the murder of Avtar Kolar, 62, and his wife Carole, 58, whose bodies were discovered at their home in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, by their policeman son last Wednesday morning.

Post-mortem tests have revealed the couple, who had been married for 40 years and had four children and eight grandchildren, died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. Both had been struck a number of times. A 24-year-old man arrested in the city on Friday has now been released on police bail, West Midlands Police said.

A murder investigation was launched after the couples’ bodies were found inside their semi-detached home by their son Jason, who is a serving officer with West Midlands Police.

More than 60 officers have been assigned to the case.

Police have repeatedly refused to speculate about a motive for the murders, but said detectives are looking into a number of lines of inquiry, including a rise in burglaries and gold thefts in the area.