POLICE say there remains no evidence of criminality 18 months into a probe into the death of a librarian whose body was found in Edinburgh months after going missing from her London home.
The death of Saima Ahmed remains unexplained after her body was discovered in the Scottish capital - 400 miles from her Wembley home - in January, last year.
The remains of Ms Ahmed, 36, were found on Saturday, January 9 at Gogar Mount House, on the edge of Gogarburn Golf Club and fully recovered on Monday January 11.
But with Ms Ahmed having no known links to Scotland and with post-mortem examinations resulting in an "unascertainable" cause of death, the death remains an unsolved puzzle.
Her brother Sadat last week admitted that there was frustration as there had been been no positive progress in the case.
Now investigators have made their own appeals for help while saying they recognise the distress the family are going through with no answers.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin MacLean said: "The investigation remains active, with my team pursuing focused lines of investigation. I continue to strive to find the answers Saima's family need and we are still seeking to establish Saima’s reasons for coming to Edinburgh and her movements within the city. There remains no evidence of criminality.
“I empathise with the anguish felt by Saima’s family as they search for answers and as Police Scotland continues to investigate Saima's death.
"I have met personally with Saima's family both in Edinburgh and in London and continue to engage with them regularly, and as and when required, via specially trained family liaison officers based in London.
“I believe there is still someone out there who can help us, and knows why Saima came to Edinburgh.
"I again appeal to that individual to come forward and assist us with our enquiries. That piece of information might be vital and may be what leads us to giving the Ahmed family the answers they seek.”
Ms Ahmed was last seen on August 30 on CCTV, boarding a train at Wembley Central station instead of going to work.
Detectives believe she took further trains to Edinburgh, likely via Hemel Hempstead and Birmingham, although her exact route is not known.
There was an unconfirmed sighting of her at Portobello Beach around the end of August.
Ms Ahmed's family were unaware of any friends or contacts she might have had in the area, or any plans to travel to Scotland. They say they do not believe she had even been north of the border before and do not think she took her own life.
Five Metropolitan Police officers are facing a misconduct investigation over the case.
Family members claimed that Met officers failed to take the case seriously despite Saima’s disappearance being “totally out of character”.
The IPCC notified five officers they were under investigation, two for gross misconduct and three for misconduct, over the way they handled information and conducted the investigation.
Police Scotland said in January that to date, no suspicious circumstances surrounding Saima's death have been discovered.
Detectives believe she bought a Birmingham to Edinburgh rail ticket at Birmingham New Street Station at about 17:00 on Sunday 30 August 2015.
Officers said there was a strong possibility she then boarded one of two Edinburgh-bound services - either the 17:15 Virgin service due to arrive at Edinburgh Waverley at 22:22, or the 13:30 Virgin Cross Country Network (via York), which was due to arrive at 22:21.
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