DETECTIVES searching for the body of a murdered Accrington woman have failed in a bid to interview her killer in prison.

But they will be talking to his brother, who was jailed for helping him to dispose of her body.

Police met with bosses at Preston Prison asking to speak to Muhammed Arshad following his conviction in December at Preston Crown Court of the murder of Zainab Begum, 56, in January 2004.

But they have been advised against re-interviewing him at this stage, although they have not ruled out trying to speak to him in the future.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Brunskill said: "After speaking to the prison about Arshad, we have taken the decision that he is not suitable to be interviewed about the location of Mrs Begum's remains.

"We are still planning to speak to his brother Mohammed Sharif Khan, but have to organise that through the prison."

It is hoped that Khan, 39, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for helping his brother dispose of Mrs Begum's body parts, and who will be eligible for parole in around three years, may now be able to help police find her remains.

Mrs Begum, a mother of six, disappeared from her home in Burnley Road last year and in December Arshad, 37, was found guilty of murder and dismembering her body.

Despite searches by police, her remains were never found.

Mrs Begum's family contacted the police after she disappeared on January 13, 2003. But a missing person inquiry turned into a murder probe when officers found traces of blood at her home.

The brothers, who moved to Britain from Pakistan after marrying Mrs Begum's daughters Kauser and Kalsoom, were soon arrested.

Arshad, who worked at Holland's Pies, Baxenden, killed her in the bedroom of her home and cut up her body in the bathroom. His brother helped take the body to the Millennium takeaway, Church Street, which they had recently taken over, where it is believed Arshad cut up her body further.