KOTA SAMARAHAN: The cause of death of an Indonesian man who was found in a ditch with his hands tied behind his back was asphyxiation, due to drowning compounded by blunt trauma to head.
The body was found nearby the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi), at the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway.
The matter was revealed by Kota Samarahan District police chief DSP Lee Chong Chern, who said was the result of a five-hour long post-mortem carried out on the deceased identified as Damian Wati, yesterday.
“The result indicates that the victim’s head was hit prior to him drowning.
“The case was reclassified as murder and the case will be investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code,” he said when contacted.
Last Thursday, five main suspects who are all local in their 20s were arrested and remanded the following day for seven days to facilitate police investigation.
Asked on the development of the case, Lee said the investigation is still ongoing and believes that the case is nearing completion.
“However, further details on the case cannot be disclosed at the moment as investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
As such, sources indicate that the victim was an Indonesian known as Damian based on the identification of his foster family at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) mortuary.
The victim is also said to be under the care of a local family in Landeh since he was young.
Meanwhile, state CID chief SAC Denis Leong Soon Kuai when contacted confirmed the matter and said that the case is still under investigation and that the victim’s identity has been established.
“The 20-year-old victim and his parents are all foreigners but it is understood that he (victim) was born in Sarawak,” said Leong.
