Bizarre murder riddle at eatery
Beachfront restaurant owner held as cops search for body
ACHINESE court interpreter is believed to have suffered a horrible fate at a Port Elizabeth beachfront restaurant, with chilling CCTV footage showing a body being carted off the premises.
Police are investigating the bizarre disappearance of Zhi Duan Huang, 37, who has not been seen since Sunday night.
It is suspected Huang was killed inside the Chinese restaurant at the popular Dolphins Leap entertainment complex in Humewood during a latenight party.
Blood was discovered all over the floor and walls of the plush eatery when the manager and employees opened up on Monday.
A sword with suspected human hair and blood on it has also been discovered in the restaurant’s delivery bakkie which was found abandoned in nearby Forest Hill.
The owner, 42, of the Jade Gardens restaurant in the Beach Road complex and a male friend, 36, were arrested yesterday in connection with the al- leged murder. The restaurant manager, who lives in a room inside the restaurant, is on the run.
By late yesterday, Huang’s body had still not been located by a team of detectives who have been working on the case since Monday night.
It is the second macabre incident to confront Port Elizabeth police in a matter of 24 hours after the bodies of two naked women were found in a house in Bethelsdorp on Monday.
They were bound with wire and had plastic bags over their heads.
According to Dolphins Leap tenants, who declined to be named, there was a party at the Chinese restaurant on Sunday night, which is believed to have sparked the murder.
A tenant at the complex said: “There was blood all over the restaurant floor and the walls.
“When they opened the shop in the morning, the staff saw this but were told to clean the blood. “Then in the afternoon about 15 police officers arrived.
“By that stage the manager of the restaurant, who had opened the shop, had left and has not returned since.”
Sources close to the investigation revealed that Huang had been invited to the restaurant by one of the owner’s friends on Sunday night.
“It was a private party for a close group of friends, including the owner of the restaurant,” an officer said.
“From what we can gather, [Huang] was invited to the shop and all the staff were sent home for the night.
“Detectives were alerted to the incident when the suspected victim’s sister reported him missing on Monday afternoon.
“A team of detectives went to the restaurant as that is the last place he was seen alive.”
Detectives became suspicious when specks of blood were found inside the restaurant and there was a strong smell of bleach.
People who saw the inside of the restaurant said there was a layer of blood on the floor and walls.
Another police officer said: “The manager tasked the staff to clean the blood off the walls and floor with Jik before he left and was not seen again.
“The forensic team found traces of blood inside the restaurant which have been sent to the laboratory for testing.
“All the CCTV footage inside the shop was deleted. However, the complex’s cameras show three men carrying a body out and placing it in the restaurant’s bakkie.”
Police scoured the area for the bakkie and found it parked outside a Chinese shop and takeaway outlet in Forest Hill Drive on Tuesday night.
“A sword with suspected human hair and blood on it – which has also been sent for forensic testing – was found in the back of the bakkie.
“The owner of both restaurants and the friend who was with him in the vehicle on the night have been arrested.”
Humewood police station commander Brigadier Ronald Koll confirmed that two Chinese nationals had been arrested for a suspected murder.
“The investigation is still at a very sensitive stage,” he said.
“Head detective Colonel Martie Gouws has assembled a team to assist with the case.
“This team consists of forensic experts and veteran detectives who have been working nonstop to establish what transpired.
“I can also state that within hours of the investigation being launched, the bakkie was confiscated and a suspected murder weapon was found inside.”
Koll would not comment on whether the suspected murder was linked to a court case in which Huang was due to interpret.
“We do not know the motive at this stage. However, we are exploring all avenues as to what transpired.
“A search is still under way to locate the body as well as other suspects possibly involved,” he said.
The two men are expected to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court today on charges of murder.