Police find clues in dairy worker homicide investigation

Photo / File

Christchurch police searching for clues in the homicide of dairy worker Sameera Chandrasena have found clothing they believe to be relevant to the investigation.

Mr Chandrasena, 28, a Sri Lanakan national, was found dead in the burnt-out shell of his home in Oxford last Thursday. Police said he had been beaten to death before his house was set on fire.

The clothing was found during a search in the Christchurch suburb of Richmond yesterday.

Police arrested two Sri Lankan men shortly after they launched the homicide investigation on charges unrelated to the death.

Mr Chandrasena, known as Sammy, was a popular figure in the small Oxford community, where he worked as a farmhand.

A permanent New Zealand resident, he had lived there for around four years and was a member of the local Oxford senior cricket team.

Police want to speak to anyone who saw a white Mitsubishi Chariot seven-seater vehicle early on February 23, between Oxford and Christchurch.