Footage showing a man getting into the taxi driven by Hiren Mohini shortly before he was murdered was shown on the Police 10/7 television programme tonight .
The 39-year-old driver was repeatedly stabbed in a frenzied attack after an eight minute ride with a passenger from the central city to the Auckland suburb of Mt Eden on Jan 31.
Police identified a man on CCTV recordings of Queen St, who was carrying a royal blue shoulder bag with a distinctive white logo, similar to one that was found bloodstained in a recycling bin near the View Rd murder scene.
After viewing more than 400 hours of footage, police had complied a 90 second track showing the man walking through the city from Queen St to Federal St where he got into Mr Mohini's taxi.
"Someone out there must know who this man is," Detective Senior Sergeant Hywel Jones, officer in charge of the investigation, said.
"The longer the man doesn't make himself known to police, the greater the likelihood is that he is involved in Mr Mohini's death."
On the night of the murder, witnesses had seen a man running from the scene towards Esplanade Rd and shortly after a man on the roof of a carport, Mr Jones said.
"The person on the carport was bare from the waist up so it's possible he had discarded whatever top he was wearing. If anyone has found clothing they're not familiar with or is missing clothing or laundry from clothes lines, we need to hear from them."
The man's image was released last week and it was unusual no one had recognised him, Mr Jones said.
The opportunity provided by showing the footage on Police 10/7 "might prove invaluable in the long run", he said.
"As in every whodunnit-type homicide investigation, we've had to be strategic in terms of our publicity so as not to compromise the integrity of the evidence we've collected to date from the likes of the scene examination and area canvasses, while at the same time keeping public safety issues at the forefront of our activities."
Extra staff had been put on the case's 0800 444 014 number tonight.
Police were also using Asian websites to appeal for information and officers and civilian volunteers would be attending the Chinese New Year celebrations at the ASB Showgrounds on Saturday to generate discussion and gather information, he said.
Images of the man, the "Dicon Aibi" bag and a distinctive black knitted cap found with it would be depicted on a billboard on Fort St and played on the city's Link bus advertising screens from tomorrow.
Police want to hear from anyone with information.
