Two men accused of setting Auckland man Shalvin Prasad on fire allegedly filled two containers of petrol on the night of the murder, according to police.
Bryne Permal and Shivneel Kumar are charged with the murder of Mr Prasad, who was found burnt to death in a rural area of south Auckland earlier this year.
They appeared via audio-visual link at Manukau District Court today where details of the police case against the pair were released.
According to the police summary of facts, alarm bells rang with Mr Prasad's family on January 30 when his father checked his son's bank account and found $30,000 missing.
He was so concerned he called police.
The next day, police found Mr Prasad's smouldering and badly burnt body on a rural road in south Auckland.
Police identified the body by fingerprints.
According to the summary of facts, Kumar owed Mr Prasad money (EDS CRRCT) and the pair had been contacting each other by text messages in the days leading up to the murder.
The pair met at the Papatoetoe TAB and later CCTV footage captured Mr Prasad arriving at the ASB branch on Ronwood Ave in Manukau where he withdrew $30,000 in $100 notes. According to police, Kumar could be seen following Mr Prasad in his own car but waited outside.
While inside the bank, Mr Prasad kept Kumar in the loop about what was happening and sent a text message saying: "she getting money nw."
Mr Prasad left the bank with his cash in an envelope and stopped to speak to Kumar on his way out. They then both left the carpark in their own cars.
Later that day Kumar and Mr Prasad were back talking and texting each other on their mobile phones.
They arranged another meeting after Mr Prasad's soccer practice and after Permal finished work at Frucor.
Mr Prasad met Permal at the Frucor factory shortly after 9pm that night and the pair got into Permal's car.
What happened next is unclear but police said that about an hour later, Permal and Kumar went to the Mobil Station on Great South Rd in Papakura and Permal filled two cans of petrol. The $33 bill was paid with a $100 note.
Police allege the pair then drove to McRobbie Rd in Kingseat and set Mr Prasad alight.
Police later found that Mr Prasad's cellphone had been wiped and say Kumar sold the phone to another man at a petrol station before filling his car with petrol and paying with a $100 bill.
According to police, Kumar spent $3800 in the following days. He also made two large bank deposits - one of $14,000 into a joint account with his father, and a second of $4100 into his personal account.
Part of the police case against the pair remains suppressed.
Permal and Kumar were remanded in custody and are due to appear in the High Court at Auckland next month.
