Man’s body found wrapped in netting in Johor river

POLICE have not ruled out the possibility that a man's body found wrapped and tied with netting in Sungai Tanjung Sembrong, Parit Raja, here yesterday, is that of a person reported missing last month.

Johor Deputy Police Chief Deputy Commissioner Hoo Chuan Huat said preliminary identification was carried out by the victim's next of kin based on the clothing and personal belongings found with the body.

He said police subsequently arrested three local men to assist investigations into the case, which is believed to have criminal elements.

"Police received information from members of the public regarding the discovery of the body at about 12.30pm yesterday.

"Examinations found that the victim's hands and legs had been bound with adhesive tape, while several injuries in the form of wounds were found on the waist and arms.

"The victim's body was also wrapped and tied with netting," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hoo said further checks revealed that a woman had lodged a police report on July 29 at 10.09pm regarding her husband's disappearance in Mutiara Rini, Iskandar Puteri, Johor.

The report had initially been classified as a missing person inquiry.

Following the discovery, a team of officers from the Johor Contingent Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Department and the Batu Pahat District Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division detained three men in the Batu Pahat area.

"Checks on the criminal records of the three suspects found that two of them had previous records related to criminal offences and drugs.

"Police also seized five mobile phones belonging to the suspects to assist investigations," he said.

Hoo said the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

He added that the motive remains under investigation, although police have not ruled out the possibility that the incident was linked to a debt-related dispute. - August 4, 2026