London, March 12 (IANS): A murder inquiry was underway, more than 16 years after an Indian-origin man was savagely attacked with a set of garden shears in the UK, the media reported.

Rajesh Verma was 42 when he suffered severe brain damage after being assaulted by a group of men, close to the entrance of Acton Park, west London, on August 31, 2003, the BBC said in a report on Wednesday.

Verma died in May 2018 after enduring a number of health issues caused by the stab wound to his head.

Since the attack, the police has not arrested or charged anyone over the attack.

A special post-mortem examination took place in June 2018, when the pathologist concluded that there was a causal link between the assault and Verma's death.

A verdict of unlawful killing was recorded at an inquest held at West London Coroner's Court on November 28, 2019.

The case has now been classified as a murder investigation and a 20,000-pound reward was being offered for information leading to the conviction of his killers.

"We believe Rajesh was attacked after he intervened in a dispute between one of his friends and another individual," the BBC quoted Det Ch Insp Noel McHugh as saying on Wednesday.

"The suspects are believed to be local to the Acton area and are likely to still be living there or have links to the area. All were described as being of East African appearance," he added.