London: A 26-year-old Pakistani national in the UK has been charged with murder in connection with the killing of an Indian-origin man who was stabbed to death in a supermarket parking area.

Nadeem Uddin Hameed Mohammed, 24, was formally identified by Thames Valley Police as the victim of the attack in Slough, near London, on Friday, when Aqib Pervaiz was produced before Reading Crown Court charged with his murder.

Nadeem, from Hyderabad, was living in south-west London with his parents and seven-month pregnant wife. The family is being supported by specially-trained officers from the police force. "Aqib Pervaiz, aged 26, of Rochford Gardens, Slough, was charged this evening (Friday) with one count of murder," Thames Valley Police said in a statement.

"It is in connection with an incident in Slough at 12.32 pm on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of 24-year-old Nadeem Uddin Hameed Mohammed, from Southall, in the car park of Tesco in Wellington Street. Mr Mohammed had been stabbed in the chest and taken to hospital where he died," the statement said.

The police said its officers were still in the early stages of the investigation and are working hard to establish the full circumstances and establish witnesses to the crime.

According to a report in Times of India, Aqib is a Pakistani national who nursed a grudge against Nadeem after losing his job two weeks ago. Nadeem worked as a manager with a departmental store chain, where Aqib also worked. The accused, who was reporting to Nadeem, was sacked because of his poor performance.

A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of Nadeem's death as a stab wound to the chest.

Pervaiz, believed to have known Nadeem from his work as a shop manager in Slough, was arrested in Birmingham and has been remanded in custody.

Relatives paid tribute to soft-spoken Nadeem, who married Afsha less than a year ago in India and she joined him in Britain only a month ago. "Everyone is in a terrible state. His wife is devastated and so are his parents," said Nadeem's uncle Sharfaz.

"He was a good man. Hard working. He didn't deserve this," he said.

The Poundland store where Nadeem worked as an assistant manager issued a statement expressing "shock and upset" at the murder.

"We're obviously shocked and upset at what's happened in Slough. Our only thoughts are for our colleague's friends, family and co-workers. We're doing everything we can to support them," read the statement.

Earlier, Thames Valley Police said the victim was rushed to hospital from a car park of Tesco supermarket in Wellington Street in Slough, on the western suburbs of London, but died from his stab wounds on Wednesday.

"I understand that this would have caused concern in the community, but I would like to offer some reassurance to the public that we do not believe this incident to be a random attack, and that the people involved in the incident are believed to be known to one another," said Detective Superintendent Ian Hunter, Head of the Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit.

(With PTI inputs)