BUKIT MERTAJAM, Jan 12  — The body of an agent  supplying  foreign workers was found with 14 stab wounds all over at his rented house where he lived with a group of foreigners at the Taman Pulasan Flats , Bukit Minyak here today.

Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) police chief ACP Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said R. Manogaran, 55, was found dead in a room at the unit by a factory van driver who went to look for him at 2pm.

"According to the van driver, the agent supplied Myanmar workers to several factories in the Bukit Tengah industrial area and was unmarried. Ten Myanmar workers also occupied the ground floor unit.

"He (the van driver) told us that at 10 am the victim had ferried the workers to the factories and had informed that he wanted to return home to rest, Four hours later, he received a call from his factory’s management that the victim did not send the workers’ meals,” he told reporters.

He said the van driver was told the workers did not want to continue working because their "lunch did not come” and was asked to look into the situation.

Nik Ros Azhan said on reaching the flat, the van driver found the flat unlocked and made the gruesome discovery.

He said a 33-centimetre long dagger was still lodged in the victim’s stomach.

"Investigations are still ongoing but we do not dismiss the possibility it could have been due to unpaid wages (to the foreign workers),” he said, adding  that  police were tracing his housemates to assist in the investigation.

In Georgetown, Barat Daya District  police chief Supt A.A Anbalagan denied there was an amok incident at Block 20, Bukit Gedung  Flats in Bayan Baru.

He said that the case only involved police detaining a 30-year-old man who was carrying a scissors and behaving erratically and that no one was injured.

Someone had uploaded a video clipping of  the man on Facebook, which had caused much alarm. — Bernama