Two men charged with murder of Lankan in New Zealand

Sameera Chandrasena

Two men have been charged with the murder of Sri Lankan Sameera Chandrasena whose body was found in his burnt house in Oxford, New Zealand.

The two men, aged 23 and 33, are both Sri Lankans and have been in custody since Saturday on unrelated matters were charged with murder, Detective Inspector Virginia Le Bas said.

The pair have also been charged with the arson of Chandrasena's home at Domain Road in Oxford. Chandrasena, 28, 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.

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. Le Bas said formal identification of Chandrasena was now complete, and his body would be released to his family in due course.

Courtesy; New Zealand Herald