COPS LET DAGGER MONSTER WALK FREE TO KILL: Bungling police freed blade-obsessed thug after £1k temple raid… before he butchered innocent student and tricked officers into handcuffing the dying victim

Murderer Vickrum Digwa, 23, had previously been reported to police for stealing weapons, it can be revealed today (Pictured: Digwa at the scene of the murder)

Henry Nowak was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described as ‘kind and talented’ by his family

BRITAIN’S broken legal system has been blasted after it emerged a knife-obsessed killer was freed by bungling cops following a £1,000 temple raid—only to stab an innocent student to death two years later.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life this week for the savage murder of 18-year-old finance student Henry Nowak.

But a furious public backlash has erupted after it was revealed the thug was already on the police radar for snatching sacred Sikh ceremonial weapons.

THE SACRILEGIOUS ROBBERY

In July 2023, Digwa and his brother—who worked as martial arts instructors—looted the Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar temple in Southampton.

They snatched £1,000 worth of ceremonial Shastar blades bought with community cash.

A temple insider revealed they begged police to lock up the “aggressive and brutish” monster, warning officers that he was a compulsive liar who “thought he was higher than God.”

Shockingly, Hampshire Police turned a blind eye.

Despite arresting Digwa on suspicion of theft, investigators bought his web of lies and released him with NO FURTHER ACTION.

Police bodycam footage shows innocent victim Henry Nowak, 18, being forced into handcuffs by officers after he was stabbed repeatedly by a knife-obsessed Sikh man

Digwa is alleged to have stolen the blades – which were blunted – from the Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar in Southampton

An image issued by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the eight-inch ceremonial dagger used by Digwa

A temple source said:

“I wasn’t shocked when he was arrested for murder. He would lie to my face in a holy place. He always used some sort of victim tactic—with us it was his caste, and with the police, it was the race card.”

Because cops let him walk, Digwa was free to roam the streets of Southampton with a lethal eight-inch ceremonial dagger.

THE DEADLY AMBUSH

Last December, Digwa crossed paths with tragic University of Southampton student Henry Nowak.

In a completely unprovoked attack, the blade-obsessed fanatic plunged the 21cm traditional Sikh knife into the innocent teenager.

But the horror did not stop there.

As Henry lay drowning in his own blood on the pavement, calculating Digwa spun a “wicked lie” to the first police officers on the scene.

The cowardly killer claimed Henry had shouted vile racist abuse, punched him, and knocked off his turban.

In scenes that have sparked international outrage, blind police officers believed the murderer over his dying victim.

‘I DON’T THINK YOU HAVE, MATE’

Harrowing bodycam footage released by cops shows the heartbreaking final moments of the young student.

Henry desperately gasped to officers four times: “I’ve been stabbed.”

In a chilling display of incompetence, one officer replied:

“I don’t think you have, mate.”

Instead of receiving life-saving first aid, injured Henry was pinned to the ground and slapped in handcuffs as a suspect. He lost consciousness and died in police custody before anyone believed him.

Meanwhile, his killer was treated with total “decency.”

Digwa was never handcuffed, was driven comfortably to the station, and was even taken into the police kitchen to personally choose his own food.

THE OUTRAGE

Henry’s heartbroken dad, Mark Nowak, delivered a blistering attack on the steps of the court after Digwa was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years.

Mark said:

“Henry did not die with dignity. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading. His murderer, however, was believed. That contrast is unbearable.

“People should not be able to walk openly through the streets of Britain carrying a 21cm blade.”

The catastrophic blunder has triggered a global storm, with tech billionaire Elon Musk offering to fund a private prosecution against the failing police force. MPs have also slammed the case as a textbook example of “two-tier policing.”

Hampshire Police have been forced to issue a groveling apology to the Nowak family, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched a probe into the arresting officers.

Shockingly, it emerged that one officer was allowed to resign and quit the force before even giving her account to the watchdog.

Digwa’s family apologized for the “pain and suffering” and for bringing the Sikh community into disrepute, while Hampshire Police Federation condemned online calls for “mob justice” against their under-fire officers.

But for Henry’s grieving family, the cost of police negligence is a price they will pay forever.