Auckland Indian community reeling after double homicide of two migrants

March 20, 2021

A critically injured person remains in hospital under police guard after the stabbing in Epsom.

An Indian community leader says they're reeling after the double killing in Auckland, two people who came for a better life.

A third person is still in hospital under police guard and is critically injured.

The painstaking investigation is in its second day, with questions still unanswered as to why two immigrants, a man and a woman, were seemingly stabbed to death.

“It's very, very devastating,” Auckland Indian Association President Narendra Bhana told 1 NEWS.

Yesterday, police called the incident a tragedy.

“There are going to be family members out there who are grieving as a result,” said Detective Inspector Scott Beard.

Today that grief has extended to the local Indian community.

One person taken to hospital with superficial injuries has now been discharged. They have been able to speak with police and are being helped by victim support.

But another person remains in a critical condition and under police guard.

An injured person found at the scene in Epsom may hold the key to finding out what happened.

Police say they haven't been charged but also say the investigation is still in its early stages.

The Epsom unit the pair died in is still under guard too - a home that's a crime scene taken over by investigators.

“And they left India for a better lifestyle so it's really sad to see this happen to them,” Bhana says.

He says there’s a growing number of people in the community getting ready to give its support.

“There's been a few phone calls been going around, I have had a few phone calls already, and at this stage our focus is how, how we can help the family,” Bhana says.

Police won't release the victims' names while next-of-kin are being informed. Telling them and completing formal identifications will take more days yet.

“At this point in time just would like to extend our message to the community that our thoughts are with you in this difficult time,” Bhana says.

Police are again reminding that community they are not looking for anyone else.

Post-mortems are due today and tomorrow.

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