Fourth suspect held over party drug death

Stacy Shi

Police arrested a 25-year-old man at West Kowloon high speed rail station on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 22-year-old mainlander who was suspected of being injected with methamphetamine during a party in Fanling Wai on Saturday.

He is the fourth suspect that has been apprehended and police are still searching for the fifth suspect.

Police earlier said that Xu Wenjun's body was abandoned in an open area in Fanling Wai by five men on Saturday morning after the fatal incident.

Officers confirmed Xu's identity after his parents rushed to Hong Kong from Dongguan to report him missing at Hung Hom police station on Sunday.

Xu was studying at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In response to the media, the institution said it was inappropriate to comment as the incident is still under police investigation.

After further investigation, the fourth suspect surnamed Man was arrested at West Kowloon station around 6.30pm on Wednesday.

Man came to know Xu and the other suspects through the dating app Grindr. He was unaware of a warrant for his arrest and travelled to the mainland after the incident but was later arrested on his return to Hong Kong.

The three men arrested earlier appeared at Fanling Magistrates' Courts yesterday.

They are Kwan Wing-yin, 51, Cheng Ka-fu, 20 and Cheng See-chung, 62.

All three were charged with preventing the legal burial of the body of Xu Wenjun on December 23 alongside Man and one unidentified suspect.

Kwan and Cheng See-chung were also charged with manslaughter.

At the request of the prosecution, magistrate Cheng Lim-chi adjourned the case for March 21 next year pending police investigation, including searching for evidence, checking surveillance camera footage and locating the fifth suspect.

Of the three defendants, only Cheng See-chung applied for bail but was refused. The trio will be remanded in custody.