A man has been charged in connection with the death of a chef at a north-east kebab shop.
Shahzad Shah died at Mirchi Indian Cuisine in Mintlaw on Monday.
Last night, a police spokeswoman confirmed a 52-year-old man would appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today in connection with the incident.
Emergency services were called to the popular takeaway at The Square shortly after 5.30pm on Monday, following reports of a disturbance.
Mr Shah could not be saved, and an investigation into the 56-year-old’s death was launched.
A postmortem has been carried out to establish how he died.
Last night, a police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a 52-year-old male has been arrested and charged in connection with the investigation into the death of Shahzad Shah, 56, following an incident at a takeaway premises in Mintlaw.”
Throughout the day there was a heavy police presence in The Square, with the Mirchi and neighbouring Nisa shop cordoned off with police tape.
Both businesses are run by a family who live in an adjoining property, which is just yards from the central Buchan police headquarters.
Last night owner Shahid Ali – known locally as Sid – was “too shocked” to speak about the incident.
Residents and local workers were also surprised to see such busy police activity around the takeaway yesterday.
Mintlaw resident and local councillor Jim Ingram said: “I went past at about 6pm and there were two ambulances there and I just thought somebody had a heart attack. But later on in the evening I heard that the door was being manned by the police so I knew it was something serious.
“In the morning there were three police officers protecting the scene of the supposed crime. I’ve heard rumours that one of the men involved was a cook from the takeaway. I certainly been led to believe it involved a member of staff.
“It is quite shocking – it is the kind of thing you don’t really expect in the village. Obviously there are two families are involved and your thoughts go out to both in this situation.”
Mr Ingram added that Mirchi is a “popular place” and does good trade with students from nearby Mintlaw Academy.
Fellow councillor Norman Smith, who is heavily involved in the village’s Macbi community centre, echoed those thoughts.
He said: “I had a meeting in the village on Monday at the back of 6pm and I saw ambulances there then. There was still activity when I left around 9pm.
“It’s something we wouldn’t expect to happen in a place the size of Mintlaw. It’s very rare. It’s sad when things come to this.”
Local taxi driver Tracey Watson was parked near the eatery at the time of the disturbance.
“I saw the police going in to the takeaway and I thought they were just going in for their supper,” the 36-year-old said.
“I noticed there were more standing outside the shop. Next thing I saw was one of the guys that actually works there coming out of the shop with paper bags on his feet. I just thought there was something strange going on.”
Shock as drama unfolded
Mintlaw locals were shocked to see such dramatic events unfold around them.
Bill Doverty, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, said he could not remember an incident so serious.
“I had to go out to the vet this morning and there was a huge police presence at the roundabout,” he said.
“Mintlaw’s been a quiet place. We came here in 1973 and apart from one or two fraudulent salesmen, there hasn’t been anything of this magnitude.”
A local hotelier added: “You obviously see the comings and goings of the ambulances. There was a black ambulance, and another later on. The police have been coming and going as well.
“You hear a heap of rumours but you just don’t know what’s gone on.”
And a neighbour added there had “never been any trouble” before at the Indian takeaway.
