Police have named a person they want to speak to in relation to the killing of a homeless man in Auckland.
Justin Vance Turner. Photo: NZ POLICE
Maqbool Hussain was found dead in a squat on Dominion Road in the suburb of Balmoral on Monday. Police say he died in a violent attack sometime between Saturday evening and Monday morning.
Police say they are looking for Justin Vance Turner, who is in breach of bail. The 29-year-old is also homeless and known to have frequented Balmoral in the past month.
Detective Inspector Chris Cahill told Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint programme on Friday that Mr Turner has a distinctive tattoo of a dog wearing a spike collar on his neck.
Police are urging anyone who has seen Mr Turner or knows where he is to contact them.
"They were both homeless and lived in that area. We have reports that they often were seen together in that area. We can't be sure that he is involved in the attack at all, but we'd certainly like to talk to him, given that he does know the deceased."
Police said they visited Maqbool Hussain before he was beaten to death. Two officers and two Asian safety patrol volunteers were in the area on Saturday night as part of a crime prevention operation and were asked by a local business to speak with Mr Hussain.
They said the officers and volunteers have provided valuable information to the investigation team.
