MUKAH, March 8 — The body of a fisherman, who was reported missing last Saturday, was found yesterday at a spot about 8km from the search-and-rescue (SAR) command post in Kampung Kuala Oya here.

It was reported that Alibaba Dahri, 52, went prawn-fishing in Oya River at around 1am that day.

Later that morning, however, his near-sunken boat was found by several villagers by the river, but there was no sign of the man — prompting a family member to report the find to the police.

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It is believed that the fisherman had been a victim of a crocodile attack.

According to Dalat police chief DSP Saga Chunggat, the body had been identified as that of Alibaba.

“It was a villager in Kampung Senau who discovered the body — he was about to inspect his boat at around 5am (yesterday) when he saw something stuck to a wooden pole at the jetty.

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“Upon realising that it was a body, he notified the police, who received the call at 6.15am,” said Saga in a statement yesterday.

He said the body had wounds in the left shoulder, the head and the right thigh — consistent with those seen in many crocodile attack cases.

“The body is now at Dalat Hospital for post-mortem and after that, it would be handed over to the family,” added Saga.

The SAR operation, which was activated early Saturday, had involved the police, firefighters, members of the Civil Defence Force and People’s Volunteer Corps, as well as residents — the majority of whom are fishermen — from Kampung Kuala Oya and other nearby villages along the Oya River. — Borneo Post Online