DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a respected father-of-two shot dead outside his takeaway in South Shields said they have found no motive for the killing and that the victim had no known enemies.

Tipu Sultan, 32, was killed outside Herbs N Spices just before 10pm on Tuesday April 4 by one of two men seen riding off on a red 600cc motorbike.

His brother Mahsum Sultan, 24, told a news conference this morning (Thursday, April 16) that he was unable to think of a reason why anyone would want to harm him.

"This is something I think of every day," he said, sitting next to his parents Aleya Begum and Amin Miah.

"I word I would have for my brother is 'amazing'. He did everything for everyone. He was honestly unselfish. I wouldn't know why anyone would want to harm him in any way."

Mr Sultan was not known to police, who have ruled out robbery and believe there was no racist motive. He was well-liked by local people and the Bangladeshi community.

He was married to Julie, lived in Sunderland, and was the proud father of a seven-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl.

His brother said: "Both children adored their father. They would often sit at the window waiting for him to arrive home from work. They were always so excited to see him."

The takeaway owner's widow was "devastated", the news conference was told. Mahsum Sultan said telling his nephew and niece what had happened was the worst thing he had encountered.

Detective Chief Inspector John Bent said more than 100 officers have been working on the case.

He urged the public to study CCTV pictures of two men leaving the area on the distinctive red motorbike, and asked them to think if they had seen it previously.

The shooter is thought to have spoken a few words to Mr Sultan to identify him before he was murdered. He is thought to have then shouted "Go, go, go!" in a North-East accent to the biker.

Mr Bent said: "It appears quite clear that the target they knew was Tipu. There is a clear element of planning. We are fairly confident that they have done some reconnaissance in the area.

"They knew Tipu would be there, he is the the front-of-house, he is there every night. We are confident it was Tipu they were after, however quite why is of huge significance to the investigation."

A 35-year-old man from Newcastle had been arrested and released on bail.