Kiwi man questioned after 5 deaths in Fiji
The Kiwi man taken in for questioning by police in relation to the deaths of five people in Fiji is believed to be a Christchurch bus driver.
Five people were found dead in Nadi, Fiji, on Monday. The postmortem examination results showed they died as result of ingesting a toxic substance.
An investigation is under way into the deaths, and local media have reported that a New Zealand man has been questioned by police.
It’s believed the man, aged in his 60s, lives in a flat in the east Christchurch suburb of Linwood and works as a bus driver. He is a Fijian citizen.
Neighbours told Stuff yesterday the man and his partner had returned to their ‘‘homeland’’ on holiday. The pair were expected back in Christchurch in the next few days.
The man’s employer declined to comment.
Raj Kumar, the brother of one of deceased, said the family were ‘‘having a hard time’’ following the deaths.
‘‘It’s not one, it’s five. Five of them and I can’t handle much. We are trying to do as best as we can and it’s not an easy time.
‘‘We’re having a hard time and I can’t say much.’’
There are four brothers and two sisters in the family. Raj Kumar was in India when he found out about the news and has since returned to Fiji.
‘‘The funeral for the family will be held in Fiji on Saturday. Friends and family are coming from New Zealand, Australia and Canada for the funeral,’’ he said.
On Monday, the bodies of a 63-year-old carpenter, Nirmal Kumar; his 54-year-old wife, Usha Devi; their 34-year-old daughter, Nileshni Kajal; and Kajal’s two daughters, Sana, 11, and Samara, 8, were found in the Nausori Highlands.
Nirmal was one of Raj’s older brothers.
Post-mortem results found all five people died after ingesting a substance, however, police have not yet revealed what that substance is.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said yesterday morning that the New Zealand High Commission in Suva was aware that a Fijian citizen was being spoken to by police.
Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro told The Fiji Times that a man who was a person of interest had been interviewed and released.
Police have now taken a woman in for questioning in relation to the deaths.
‘‘The woman is known to the first person of interest and also to the Kumar family,’’ Naisoro told The Fiji Times.
Along with the discovery of the bodies on Monday, a crying 1-yearold, Samaira Kumar, was found crawling by the roadside close to where the bodies were found.
Samaira is believed to be Nileshni Kajal’s niece. It has been reported that the child is in hospital.
FBC News reported that, on Thursday, the Lautoka Court dismissed an application made by the state for police to hold a person of interest for longer than 48 hours in relation to their investigation into the deaths.
No charges have been laid. The miscellaneous application was made for the man – who FBC News reported was from New Zealand – to be held further as police needed more time to question him.
But the defence counsel objected, and the court dismissed the application, FBC News reported.
The family’s neighbours in Legalega, Nadi, have said the family had gone out on Saturday afternoon and did not return home. Family members also say that all their mobile phones were left at their home in Legalega.