Cricket World Cup: Woolmer Murder Hunt Police to Take Dna From All Hotel Guests

Jamaican police yesterday stepped up their efforts to catch the killer or killers of Bob Woolmer by announcing plans to gather DNA samples, fingerprints and photographs of everyone who was staying in the 300-room Pegasus Hotel in Kingston at the time of the Pakistan coach's murder 11 days ago.

"It is a huge task but I believe it has to be done," said Mark Shields, the deputy commissioner of Jamaican police. "I am hoping that when the forensic report is through and we have studied it we will find fingerprints and also DNA of a suspect. If people were in that room innocently or not at all then the easiest way to eliminate them is by getting those samples now."

Shields admitted that the job, which may involve as many as 1,000 guests, could take months and he would not rule out a second autopsy after the first was declared inconclusive by a forensic pathologist. "The jury may want a second post-mortem and if we arrest someone this week and charge them the defence counsel will want a second," he said.

The move comes amid suggestions from members of the Pakistan Cricket Board that Woolmer was not in fact murdered at all but died of natural causes. However, Shields is adamant that there is "clear evidence of murder". He admitted it was unusual that there were no signs of bruising on Woolmer's neck but told Reuters: "There are circumstances surrounding this [case] which render it not so unusual.

"There was no forced entry to the room, which is a very clear indication that two things happened. One is that the person let themselves into the room using one of the key cards, or secondly that Bob opened the room himself. As far as I can say at this stage there is no record of anybody else opening the door. So therefore we can assume that he let the person in."

Meanwhile, a crowd of 200 angry fans gathered at Karachi airport to shower six members of the returning Pakistan squad with abuse. Shahid Afridi, the all-rounder who played only in the meaningless victory over Zimbabwe, was told to "go to hell" and others chanted, "Afridi, sell lentils," and "Deserter, where are you going?"

The leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was greeted with cries of "Shame, shame" and on Monday the vice-captain Younis Khan was advised by one fan that he should ride around Karachi on a donkey.