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| Three held in double murder probe | Three held in double murder probe |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Three men have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a Chinese couple in Newcastle. | Three men have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a Chinese couple in Newcastle. |
| The mutilated bodies of Zhen Xing Yang and his girlfriend Xi Zhou, both 25, were found in their flat on 9 August. | The mutilated bodies of Zhen Xing Yang and his girlfriend Xi Zhou, both 25, were found in their flat on 9 August. |
| The BBC understands the Chinese men were arrested in raids in Newcastle, Morpeth in Northumberland, and County Durham on Thursday morning. | |
| A further fourteen people were arrested for either conspiracy to commit burglary or for immigration offences. | A further fourteen people were arrested for either conspiracy to commit burglary or for immigration offences. |
| All those arrested are described as Chinese nationals. | |
| Victim tortured | |
| The couple were found dead in separate bedrooms at the downstairs Croydon Road flat by friends. | |
| Mr Zhen was tortured for more than an hour before being stabbed to death. | |
| Examinations also showed Miss Xi may have been asphyxiated as well as stabbed during the attack. | |
| The couple's cat was also drowned by their killers. | |
| The last known sighting of either of the victims alive was a CCTV image showing Miss Xi arriving home from work on 7 August. | |
| Several witnesses reported seeing three men outside the couple's home an hour later. |