Third murder linked to Luton-based website that sells ninja swords and knives

Three murders have been linked to a website run by a former Junior Apprentice contestant after teenage killers were able to buy ninja swords and knives online.

In all three murders, the killers – aged 16 or 17 at the time – used a parent’s ID to bypass age-security checks when buying dozens of knives from DNA Leisure.

The Luton-based site is owned by Adam Eliaz, who appeared in 2010 as a candidate on the BBC show fronted by Alan Sugar.

Pooja Kanda, the mother of one victim, Ronan Kanda, 16, who was stabbed to death with a 20-inch ninja sword in 2022 bought from DNA Leisure, accused Mr Eliaz of profiting “while we’re losing over innocent children”.

“He is making money on other people’s blood. He’s an absolutely disgusting person,” Ms Kanda told i.

It is illegal to sell most knives to anyone under the age of 18. Anyone buying a knife online must be subject to age checks including on delivery.

It is legal to sell knives to people aged over 18, but the Government has banned the sale and possession of some blades, including flick knives and curved swords over 50cm. A ban on zombie-style knives and machetes is due to start later this year.

In the latest fatal stabbing, a 17-year-old boy has been convicted of the murder of Rahaan Ahmed Amin, 16, in Newham, east London, using a red ninja-style sword. He is due to be sentenced in September.

The Old Bailey heard Rahaan died after he was attacked in a park on 9 July last year by the 17-year-old, who cycled up to him and stabbed him in the chest.

Forensic detectives later found the murder weapon – a long red knife – stashed in a tree, with a Snapchat photograph on an account linked to the 17-year-old showing a collection of nine knives on a bed.

One knife was identical in appearance to the knife found in the tree and to a knife ordered online through DNA Leisure the month before the attack, the Metropolitan Police said.

Detectives traced the transaction details of that order and two other similar orders placed using the passport of the father of one of the 17-year-old’s friends.

All three orders were from DNA Leisure and totalled more than 50 knives and machetes.

When the police told the man about these transactions, he did not know about them. Scotland Yard said there was no clear evidence that at the point of delivery, an age verification check had been carried out – this was only done at the point of purchase.

Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen, the lead investigator in the case, said: “This case demonstrates how easy it is for young people to purchase deadly knives online.

“I would urge all parents to be aware of their child’s online activity and what purchases they are making.

“It is also important for parents to keep their ID documents secure to ensure they are not misused by their children.”

In June 2022, Ronan Kanda, 16, was stabbed to death with a 20-inch ninja sword just yards from his home in Wolverhampton in a case of mistaken identity.

During the trial, it emerged that his killer, Prabjeet Veadhesa, had bought the sword online from DNA Leisure when he was 16 using his mother’s ID to bypass security checks. In total, he had purchased 26 knives and swords over six months.

Post Office workers handed the sword from DNA Leisure to Veadhesa after failing to check any of his identity documents to verify his age.

When Ronan’s sister wrote to Mr Eliaz after her brother’s killing, he replied that swords and machetes sold on the site were “collectors’ items”.

“Our customers buy these to keep at home. Just like people collect stamps. It really is no different, and in fact no more dangerous, really,” Mr Eliaz wrote in the letter, seen by i.

Earlier this month, teenage drug dealer Rayis Nibeel, 17, who bought 79 knives, swords and machetes online, was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing to death Omar Khan, 38, in Luton in a drug deal gone wrong.

Another teenager Umer Choudhury, who was 17 at the time of the attack, was also convicted of murder.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the cache of knives costing more than £1,000, including the 11-inch weapon used to murder father-of-two Mr Khan and wound his partner Cheyenne Barnes, were bought from DNA Leisure by Nibeel, then aged 16.

Guildford Crown Court heard Nibeel created a customer account in his mother’s name to make the knife purchases, paying for all but a very few out of his own account, and arranging for them to be delivered to his home address.

Police only discovered the link to DNA Leisure during door-to-door inquiries, when a neighbour said they had accepted a package for the teenager’s address, the BBC has reported.

Bedfordshire Police said it was concerned that Nibeel was able to order so many weapons and that “there was no challenge at delivery”.

Det Insp Justine Jenkins, who led the investigation into Mr Khan’s murder, described it as a “massive loophole”.

Ms Kanda, has launched a petition urging the Government to ban the sale of all bladed items online and said that legislation due this autumn to crack down on zombie-style knives and machetes must be expanded – as swords aren’t currently included.

She is also calling for tighter laws to stop teenagers buying knives online with adults ID and is “sickened” that, two years on from her son’s murder, more killings have been carried out by teenagers who bought blades from DNA Leisure.

“It’s been very important for me to change the rules and regulations so people like Adam Eliaz don’t make profit on other people’s lives,” she said. “It all comes down to one thing: government laws and lawmakers are weak.”

Ms Kanda also questioned why the purchase of dozens of knives to one person had not raised red flags at the online firm.

Patrick Green, from anti-knife charity the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: “The repeated use of these weapons in at least three murders raises serious issues.

“There aren’t robust practices in place to show that they have responsible retail principles.

“It would appear from what we’ve seen that DNA’s business model is all about money and not about safety.”

Mr Eliaz said: “We comply with all current UK legislation relating to the sales of bladed articles, including the laws relating remote sales and age verification. Age is verified prior to the item being shipped and then again at point of delivery.

“The people in question made orders under someone else’s name and used their ID to purchases from us. We used an age verified courier service to deliver the parcel. They did not fulfil their obligation. We did not break the law in any way.

“The vast majority of our customers , like the general population are normal, law-abiding individuals. Fully aware of the laws and behave sensibly. A knife isn’t a weapon, unless a person turns it into one. The products we sell are collectables and tools which are used legally and safely by the overwhelming majority of our customers. We cannot be responsible for the actions of other people.

“It is misleading to blame us for knife crime. According to Home Office data, 85 per cent of homicides between 2022 and 2023 involved articles we do not stock. The misuse of these items is beyond our control and reflects broader societal issues related to gang and drug-related crimes.”