KEY POINTS:
The deaf father of two men arrested in connection with the brutal shooting of Manurewa liquor store owner Navtej Singh was inside reading his Bible when armed police raided their home, a neighbour says.
The neighbour has been caring for the elderly man since his sons were taken away.
Police raided several homes overnight on Wednesday and at least five yesterday, leading to breakthroughs in the hunt for the men who killed Mr Singh on Saturday night.
Early yesterday, they said they had made three arrests and were seeking two other men.
By the afternoon they had recovered parts of the .22 rifle believed to be the murder weapon from mangroves in the Tamaki Estuary in Otahuhu.
They also seized a black Mazda Astina alleged to be the getaway car.
The three homes of the arrested men remained cordoned off and under guard yesterday.
Anitelea Chan Kee, 20, a bouncer, and Tino Faamele Felise, 17, were charged with murdering Mr Singh.
They were also charged with armed robbery and aggravated robbery, relating to the alleged theft of alcohol, cash and phone cards worth $4000 from the liquor store.
Chan Kee's brother, 24-year-old car-groomer Mefiposeta Chan Kee, was charged with being an accessory to the crime.
He is accused of disposing of the rifle used to shoot Mr Singh and dumping cardboard packaging from liquor taken during the robbery.
The three men stood silently in the dock yesterday during their brief court appearance, at which they were remanded in custody to appear for a pre-depositions hearing on August 6.
Only two of the accused were able to be photographed by the media after Judge David Harvey agreed with Felise's lawyer, Paul Borich, that identity could be an issue and publication of Felise's image could prejudice his case.
A neighbour of the Chan Kee family, who asked not to be named, told the Herald she had been caring for the accused men's elderly father since police stormed the home in Stewart Place, Otara, about 10pm on Wednesday.
Residents reported hearing police calling to the occupants on a loud-hailer.
She said the father was deaf and ill and did not know what was going on with the arrests.
"The poor old man don't know nothing about nothing," she said.
"He was reading his Bible in his own privacy. He can't hear a thing."
The family's home remained cordoned off with police emergency tape and guarded by police officers and two security guards yesterday.
The homes of the others arrested, in Owairaka Ave, Mt Albert, and Aarts Ave, Manurewa, were also cordoned off yesterday.
Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher said he was pleased with the way the operation was proceeding.
"We've recovered important evidence, including ammunition and some clothing believed to have been worn during the attack on Mr Singh."
Police were following strong leads and it was only a matter of time before the remaining two men were caught.
"The best they can do is recognise the predicament they are in and come forward voluntarily."
Meanwhile, police - under criticism for taking too long to enter the liquor store as Mr Singh lay dying - have refused to answer questions about their response to the incident.
They say procedure after armed robberies is for officers to wait at a "safe point" until the gunman's whereabouts has been established.
But while they were waiting to enter the store, up to 12 people came and went from it without incident and it remains unclear why police and ambulance staff were not allowed in to tend to the dying man.
A formal request by the Herald for details on the 111 calls was yesterday rejected by police on the grounds that a criminal investigation was being conducted and such a response was "likely to prejudice that investigation and any future prosecution".
The Herald will contest this reply through the Ombudsman.
