Five children have been arrested on suspicion of murder after an elderly dog walker died following a “serious” assault in a park.

Bhim Sen Kohli, 80, was walking his dog in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester at around 6.30pm on Sunday when he was “kicked in the neck”. He died on Monday night.

Police have arrested a boy and a girl aged 14 and a boy and two girls aged 12 on suspicion of murder.

Locals described Mr Kohli, a grandfather of two, as a “gentle” man who walked his dog in the park each day.

Deep Singh Kalia, 70, a neighbour, who had known him for more than 30 years, said: “He was such a lovely guy. It is a horrible shock. I would meet up with him every day. We were both originally from the Punjab in India.

“He loved his allotment, and loved his dog, and loved his family. He used to own a factory that made jumpers and cardigans. I don’t know why anyone would have wanted to do something like this to him. He was just a very nice man who wouldn’t have done anything to provoke this.”

Mr Kalia’s wife Harjinder said: “It is just awful. Bhim wouldn’t have harmed anyone.”

In a statement, Det Insp Emma Matts, the senior investigating officer, said: “Sadly, following the death of the victim, this has now become a murder investigation.

“Officers are continuing to work at speed to establish the details of the attack, and we have made a number of arrests as we continue to understand what has happened.”

Speaking before Mr Kohli’s death on Monday, his daughter claimed he had been kicked in the neck and spine.

She told LeicestershireLive: “He had been taking the dog for a walk. He was about 30 seconds away from getting home when he was attacked. He was lying under the tree and at first he was complaining about his neck and now he’s not able to move his legs.

“He’s always been very active – he has three allotments. We’ve lived here for 40 years, and just recently there’s been a lot of anti-social behaviour, which has been reported to the police.”

Mr Kohli is believed to have been wearing a black jumper and grey jogging bottoms at the time of the incident.

The assault happened close to the park entrance in Bramble Way, and the group of young people fled the scene before emergency services arrived, Leicester Police said.

Officers said they want to speak to anyone who was in the park or the area of Bramble Way between 6pm and 6.45pm on Sunday.