The deceased was found lying face down in a shallow pool of water.
KUCHING: The body of a man, with his hands appeared to have been tied behind his back who was found in a ditch along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway this morning was suspected to have been murdered.
The body, which was lying face down in a shallow pool of water, was discovered near the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute by a member of the public, who then contacted the police.
According to Kota Samarahan police chief DSP Lee Chong Chern, the deceased showed signs of wounds under his right eye, chin, neck and jaw.
“The deceased was estimated to have been dead between six to eight hours before being discovered,” he said in a statement today.
He added that the deceased was about five feet and six inches tall, and was found six metres away from the road.
“There were no weapons left behind or signs of a struggle at the site of the incident, and no identification documents were found on the deceased or around the area.
“There is a possibility that the deceased was killed or attacked at a different location and dumped at the site,” Lee said.
As of press time, the deceased’s identity is yet unknown and police have taken the deceased’s thumbprints to be checked at the Immigration Department.
“The deceased may not be a local as there was no signs of a BCG (bacille calmette-guerin) vaccination scar on his arm,” Lee said.
He added that the deceased’s body had been sent to the Sarawak General Hospital Forensics department for an autopsy although no date had been set for the autopsy.
“Investigations are still underway and the case is classified under Section 302 of the Penal Code,” Lee said.
The deceased, who was wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, was discovered with his hands tied behind his back with a cloth bearing a Pua Kumbu motif.