Tributes are paid to taxi driver Abdul Haque who died in crashLOVING and devoted father- of-four Abdul Haque has been named as the taxi driver who died in a crash in Cheltenham at the weekend.
Tributes have poured in for Mr Haque, 45, from St Peter's, who died when his grey Mitsubishi Grandis taxi and a silver Audi A4 collided at 3.30am on Saturday.
A 22-year-old man from Gloucester was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the smash at the junction of Park Place and Andover Road.
He had minor injuries, and was treated at Cheltenham General Hospital.
But paramedics could not revive Hackney Carriage driver Mr Haque, who died at the scene.
He leaves behind his wife, Rubi, 42, sons Robbie, 18, and Mumin, eight, and daughters Hazera, 14, and Riya, 13.
His devastated family has paid tribute to a loving husband, doting father and loyal friend.
His cousin Abdul Mazid spoke on behalf of the family.
He said the former schoolteacher, who taught maths in Bangladesh, was a family man.
He added: "He moved to Cheltenham 17 years ago, and has lived in the St Peter's area for a long time. He was a very nice person and a real gentleman.
"He was soft-hearted, and a very calm man who loved his family, just a really great man.
"He loved teaching, and working with children.
"It was his passion."
Close friend Moshin Miah, 42, knew Mr Haque for more than 15 years, and said he had a "heart of gold".
"He never had any enemies, and he never took anything to heart because he was such a forgiving person," he said.
"He was a great friend, very loyal, and loved everybody. Hard-working and a family man, he was always there for them and provided for them.
"He was a happy man.
"All the drivers in the taxi rank got on very well with him, he could always be counted on.
"On his job, he loved meeting new people and his customers always said he was really friendly."
Mr Haque, who used to own a takeaway in Charlton Kings, was an excellent chef, he added.
"I was very distressed when I heard," he said.
"I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. It is heartbreaking and everyone is really upset at what had happened. He was taken away so suddenly."
The keen badminton player also loved gardening, and worked hard on his vegetable plot in his back garden.
Mr Haque's niece said of him: "He was a loving father, a wonderful husband and my amazing uncle.
"He did not deserve to die. Such a highly respectable man, very known and popular in Cheltenham.
"We still can't believe it. It's such shock."
Deeply religious, Mr Haque was getting ready to take his family to visit relatives in Cardiff after the holy festival of Ramadan, when Muslims observe a month of fasting.
Ramadan ended on Thursday with families traditionally coming together to break fast and pray.
The 22-year-old Audi driver was bailed to return to Cheltenham police station on October 25.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or saw either of the cars prior to the collision should call the police on 101, quoting incident 80 of August 10.
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