A FOUL smell from a house in Sandakan has led police to the decomposed body of a missing 62-year-old woman, found with her hands bound behind her back and her head covered with cloth inside a toilet.
Police have since arrested 10 people, including five women and three Filipino nationals, with two individuals identified as the main suspects in the case.
Sandakan district police chief Assistant Commissioner George Abd Rakman said police were alerted by members of the public to the foul smell coming from the double-storey wooden house in Tanah Merah, Jalan Leila.
He said officers inspected the premises at about 8.45pm last Wednesday and discovered the victim's body in the toilet.
“Investigations revealed that the victim is believed to have been dead for several days based on the condition of the decomposed body.
“We successfully made the arrests in less than 24 hours. A total of 10 individuals were detained, with two of them identified as the main suspects.
“The motive is believed to have stemmed from a dispute over wages for renovation work and the suspects’ dissatisfaction with the victim for increasing the monthly rent of the house in which they were living,” he said on Monday.
George said all 10 suspects were related to one another.
He added that police had seized a wooden stick believed to have been used in the incident, as well as several personal belongings belonging to the victim that had allegedly been taken.
“All the suspects are related to one another, and we have seized a weapon believed to have been used in the incident, namely a wooden stick, as well as several of the victim’s personal belongings that were taken,” he said.
An investigation paper has been opened and the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, he added. - August 25, 2026
