Transcript
When he heard the news about the deaths, Nirmal Kumar's younger brother Rajesh was travelling with family in India.
Having returned swiftly to Fiji, Rajesh says the baby is now doing well: discharged from Lautoka hospital and reunited with her mother, staying with family at Legalega near Nadi for at least a month.
Rajesh says a New Zealand-based couple identified by police as people of interest in relation to the deaths used to live nearby and were well known to the family.
"They used to come to Nirmal's house all the time. You know when ever they come from New Zealand they come here like having dinner. And Nirmal because he was a carpenter, maintenance a helpful person, he used to help everybody."
Rajesh says the grieving family have heard a lot of rumours about what caused the deaths but they don't know what is true.
He has known the man who police have questioned since 1972 - they used to drink kava together.
Rajseh says he knows nothing about speculation that the man was a so-called witchdoctor, nor about his sister-in-law seeking help for pain from the suspect.
"Well my sister in law never mentioned anything to us. And my brother never mentioned to us. And that's the thing I don't know."
The National Secretary for Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha says the Hindu community is shocked and saddened by the deaths.
Vigyan Sharma says Hindus throughout Fiji are extending their support to surviving family members.
According to him, some people in Fiji believe in witchcraft but he says it's not part of the Hindu religion and that witchdoctors are usually asking for money.
"I advise that the people should believe in God and not witchcraft or witchcraft doctors. They are humans, they are not our God. So believe in God, not in witchcraft and in any malpractices anyone is doing. It is better to pray directly to God than to trust in these kind of witchdoctors."
Reporter Felix Chaudhary says the Fiji Times has spoken to the father of the two dead girls who said that while he wasn't aware of the suspect's reputation, the family did seek help from healers prior to his marital separation.
"Some people refer to them as witchdoctors, some others refer to them as religious healers. So he said the family did go to visit a few of them during the period that he was living wtih them. And as far as this person of interest being a witchdoctor, he's not aware of that. He said he does know him as a business man and that's about it."
He says the deaths have frightened the community.
"I think it's just heightened awareness of safety of children. And once we find out what actually happened then things might return to normal. You know this has been the high point of discussion, people are talking about it a lot, on social media there's a lot of comments being made as well. So everything comes back to when the investigations will be completed and if someone will be taken to task over this issue."
Meanwhile, police investigations continue, while officers are patrolling near the family home day and night
Rajesh Kumar appealed to the public to help police with any relevant information about the case.
He says everybody is looking for justice, but that even if justice is served, they cannot get their family back....
"The couple who are of interest to police are Fiji citizens but New Zealand residents - they told media they are innocent and are sad to have missed attending their friends funerals."
They are barred from returning to New Zealand, and their lawyer would not be drawn on the timing of a court date for review of the stop departure order issued at the Lautoka High Court last week.
This is Jenny Meyer.
