Tracing the movements of a stolen car will help catch the men responsible for a brutal attack on a Buddhist monk, police say.
Senior Venerable Thich Phuoc An, known as Master An, was seriously injured in an attack at his home at Quan Am Buddhist Monastery, south of Auckland, on Friday night.
The 58-year-old was attacked with a baseball bat, handcuffed and stomped on by three men who police said were "seriously lacking any moral fortitude''.
Officers investigating the aggravated robbery want information about a blue Mazda stolen near Middlemore Hospital sometime after 7.30am last Wednesday and seen at the monastery the following day.
The car was seized by police on Saturday morning after being abandoned behind shops at the intersection of Great South Rd and Browns Rd in Manurewa.
