Pragaret Singh, 35, was gunned down by two men as he was carrying a large amount of cash
This is the father-of-three who was shot dead after confronting armed robbers who attacked him while he was closing his shop for the night.
Pragaret Singh, 35 was shot in the chest and abdomen outside Manchester Food Traders in Openshaw, Manchester, just after 6pm on Friday night.
Police say Mr Singh was confronted by two robbers and 'grappled' with one of the men before he was shot. The two robbers are said to have escaped with a large amount of money.
Mr Singh's brother, speaking from the family's home in Salford, paid tribute to a hard-working and much-loved father-of-three.
The victim's brother, known as Tiggy, spoke movingly of a man committed to his company and his family.
He said Mr Singh 'worked 24 hours a day' to provide for his wife Sukhwinder and their three children, aged two, five and seven.
He said: "He was robbed of his life. He was happy, jolly and full of life - he never said anything bad about anyone. He was he kind of person who'd go out of his way to help anyone in need.
"He had taken out loans to give financial help to his colleagues, acting as their guarantors. They could have shot him in the leg, they could have hit him with a stick - but instead they shot him twice.
"He had no chance. If they'd have shot him once, he's the kind of person who probably would have put up a fight. He was fit and full of life."
Mr Singh had been running the food wholesale firm from a unit on the industrial estate off Ashton Old Road for more than 15 years.
His devastated father, Peter Singh, said the brutal killing had left the close-knit family fearing for their personal safety.
He added that Pragaret was well-known in the area where he worked, and had been running the company as a director for more than 15 years.
It’s understood to be a food import and export company and frozen food wholesalers.
Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: "Although this investigation remains in its infancy, at this stage we believe Charlie's death was the result of simply trying to protect his business from armed robbers, during which he was shot at least twice.
"His family are absolutely and utterly distraught and our thoughts are with them. At this stage of our inquiry we believe this is the tragic death of an innocent businessman and father-of-three who was simply trying to protect his livelihood from criminals.
"As a result, his family have suffered an unimaginable loss."
Mr Singh’s devastated wife, Sukhwinder Singh, was too upset to speak today and was being comforted by family members at the home.
