GEORGE TOWN, Dec 9 — The body of another foreigner with a slit throat was found in Relau yesterday.
The unidentified man, in his 30s, was found in a pool of blood in front of a Buddhist shrine at 10am.
Penang CID chief SAC Mazlan Kesah said police believed the killers could be from the same group responsible for the slayings of 18 other Myanmar nationals.
He said the victim suffered several slash wounds on the arms and back.
“We believe there was a struggle and he was overpowered by his assailants,” he said.
“It is possible he sustained the injuries while trying to defend himself.”
Mazlan said police believe the incident took place between 2am and 5am.
“We believe more than two individuals are involved and we have mobilised our K9 and forensic units to assist with investigations,” he said.
“So far, no witnesses have come forward and people may not have noticed the incident as it was still dark.”
The body was sent to Penang Hospital for a post-mortem.
Mazlan said police were still looking for other suspects involved in the previous cases.
“There are still a few individuals involved in the earlier cases and we are trying to see if they are connected,” he said.
He said police were investigating if communal clashes could be a motive.
Malay Mail had quoted sources as saying communal clashes had been identified as the reason behind the savage killings over the past 11 months.
The killings, in which the victims had their throats slit and heads and limbs chopped off, were committed both on the island and the mainland.
Police had earlier denied the murders were linked to communal clashes.
However, on Thursday, following the arrest of the Myanmar suspects, including the 40-year-old main suspect, police established revenge over incidents in their homeland as the root cause of the series of grisly murders.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said police believed 13 of the murder cases on the island and the mainland had been solved with the arrest of several suspects.
