'Amazing response' to Hannah trip

Hannah Foster was murdered after a night out in March 2003

The parents of murdered teenager Hannah Foster have told the BBC the response to their India trip has been "beyond their wildest dreams."

Trevor and Hilary Foster are in New Delhi at the start of a 12-day trip they hope will help lead to the capture of suspect Maninder Pal Singh Kohli.

They also launched a new telephone hotline for information about the case.

Their 17-year-old daughter was murdered in Southampton in March 2003. Mr Kohli, 36, flew to India two days later.

If this man is innocent then he has no reason to hide. All we are concerned about is justice Trevor Foster

Mrs Foster, 47, told BBC Radio Five Live: "We are clinging onto the fact this man, Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, is a Sikh.

"My understanding is that 80% of Sikhs are confined to the Punjab area and he's very much a family man.

"All his family are from an area outside Chandigarh. We are clinging onto that as hope."

She said her and her husband had wondered whether they were mentally fit enough to travel to India but were very glad they had chosen to go.

"We have had an amazing response," she said.

Trevor Foster broke down while speaking to the Indian media

"This press conference today was just wall to wall with people - in fact we had difficulty trying to leave the building.

"It was beyond our wildest dreams. Everybody wants to help out here. They all seemed very interested in helping to find Hannah's killer."

During an earlier press conference Mr Foster, 53, told the Indian media: "We know we are Westerners and not from your country or your culture.

"But we come to you in desperation, seeking help to obtain justice for Hannah.

"My wife and I have travelled over 4,000 miles (6,500 km) to ask the people of India for help."

Breaking down, he said: "Every parent in India will share our anguish at the cruel loss of a loved and loving daughter. I have just one daughter left now, Sarah, who just turned 16 and misses her sister very much."

Maninder Pal Singh Kohli is the prime suspect

Mr Foster said Mr Kohli fled Britain for his parents' home in the Punjab, but ran away before local police could arrest him.

"If this man is innocent, then he has no reason to hide. All we are concerned about is justice," Mr Foster said.

Mr and Mrs Foster hope to raise awareness of the ongoing police inquiry and the five million rupee reward (£70,000) offered for information leading to an arrest.

They are due to travel to Chandigarh in the Punjab to hold a second press conference on Wednesday.

They hope to meet senior elected officials and key police officers of the Punjab state later this week.

The couple are also scheduled to meet members of the British High Commission and local police chiefs before they return home on 21 July.

Mr Kohli, who lived in Southampton with his wife and two young children, went to India two days after Hannah's body was found in undergrowth in West End, on the outskirts of the city.

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Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Maninder Pal Singh Kohli is asked to contact Hampshire Police on 0845 045 45 45 from mainland UK or [phone] from outside the UK.