THE murder of a British man who was found dead in a pool of blood in South Africa has sparked a manhunt for the killer who cops claim could be a close friend.

The body of the victim, named locally as Upendra Edward Galegedera, was discovered by police close to the front door, reports claim.

He has not been seen since Friday and the alarm was raised by concerned friends.

Cops broke into his sixth floor flat in Cape Town on Monday afternoon and were met by a gruesome scene.

Upendra, 50, was believed to be from Hertfordshire but lived in Cape Town.

The area was immediately cordoned off while officers from the South African Police Service spoke to all his neighbours to get a picture of the murder victim.

The flat he lived in is in the Cape Quarter, an area of Cape Town near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront known for its gay scene.

There is no suggestion that the victim was gay himself.

The British High Commission is aware of the alleged murder but has referred all press calls to the Foreign Office in London, claiming the matter was not for them to comment on.

Spokesperson Isabel Potgieter said: “Our staff are supporting the family of a British man following his death in Cape Town and are in contact with the South African authorities.”

News24 reported that on Monday neighbours watched the police force their way into the locked two-bedroom where the victim’s body was found.

The victim was the director of a company in the UK called Data Sparkle Services Ltd.

It is believed he ran the company with his dad Natharangpotha before the firm was shut down in 1993.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said police were investigating the murder and no arrests had been made yet and a post mortem was taking place.

He said: "The investigation into this incident is at an extremely sensitive stage and we cannot go into more details at present. We are not revealing any details of the victim.

"There will be a fresh press release in due course so please be patient" he said.

He said the murdered man’s Audi A3 was found in the early hours of Tuesday at a street which is just a few blocks away and that his officers were following up a strong line of inquiry.

Those living in the block said the man had a guest staying with him shortly before he died, but police would not confirm this.