The four suspects.
TAWAU: Four teenage suspects were detained yesterday after the body of a food stall operator was found in a drain behind 1 Homeware premises, Bantu Road, Fajar on Monday.
District police chief ACP Peter AK Umbuas said police believed the case, classified as murder under Section 302 Penal Code, had been solved with the arrest of the suspects aged 16 and 17 who are Filipino illegal immigrants.
He said the victim was identified as Jaafar Bin Jalman, 49, who operated a food stall at Kampung Titingan, and was believed murdered between 12.30am on Sunday and 5pm on Monday.
He said the suspects were nabbed yesterday at Dunlop Road area at 1.45pm, Taman Semarak Megah at 4.10pm and in a cyber cafe at 4.40pm.
Peter said the motive of the murder was to due to the dissatisfaction of the suspects at the victim for accusing them of thieves and snatchers.
Police also found a screwdriver and an eight-inch vegetable knife at the scene.
Peter said the body with stab wounds on the neck and chest, was found by a member of the public at 5pm on Monday and reported it to the police.
The area where the body was found was used as a parking place, he said, adding no identification document was found on the victim, but was identified by his wife at the scene of crime.
He said the victim’s wife said after closing their food stall about 12.45am on Sunday, her husband went out for a ride in a red Proton Wira (SB 871) and did not return home until his body was found.
Peter added the victim did not have a cellular phone and the car had not been found yet.
No police report was lodged by the wife or family about the victim being missing.
The motive of the incident had not been ascertained and further investigation continued, he added.