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Police investigating the fatal stabbing of two men in an inner-city Auckland apartment are making inquiries about a mystery suitcase believed to contain about US$1.5 million ($2.06m).
Baseem Ridha Abbad Almery, 30, is charged with double murder and aggravated robbery after a three-hour stand-off at the Alpha Apartments
a fortnight ago.
The dead men were directors of an investment company. Their names have been suppressed by the Auckland District Court until Almery re-appears later this month.
The Herald on Sunday has learned police have questioned the dead men's business associates about the missing suitcase.
One, property developer Russell O'Kane, said he had first met them just weeks before their deaths.
They had discussed buying properties in Auckland and Rotorua but no deal was completed and money never changed hands.
"I went to their offices once, then went back for the meeting on the Monday and they weren't there," O'Kane said.
"I didn't know what had happened to them, of course."
He said police had spoken to him about a suitcase of cash that had apparently gone missing from apartment 101, where the two men lived.
The Herald on Sunday understands one of the dead men had organised a loan through a bank to finance a business deal.
The money - believed to amount to about US$1.5m - was in the missing suitcase.
"They phoned and asked had I heard anything about some money in a suitcase missing," said O'Kane.
"I said: 'Yeah, good one. Have you seen the car the guy drove?"' O'Kane said that the man drove an old, cheap car.
Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Scott, who is leading the investigation, refused to comment as the case was before the court.
The Herald on Sunday understands the accused had had an argument with a woman from apartment 1107 days earlier.
Police sources said a man had gone to the building on the day of the standoff and tried to get the keys to her room from the manager.
When the manager had refused, he was stabbed while blocking the doorway to room 101.
The other man, his partner, was then attacked in the shower.
Annie McConnochie, a friend of the dead men, said they were "incredibly nice".
They had started a company to export bottled water.
She said they were "heroes", who had prevented further tragedy by trying to protect the woman upstairs.
A 111 call had alerted police that a man was in the apartments, threatening to harm himself and others with a knife.
He had been seen on an 11th-floor balcony holding a knife to his throat and threatening to jump.
Police were told he had gone to visit a woman in apartment 1107, but when they arrived they found two bodies in 101.
