KOTA KINABALU: The body of a man, believed to have been electrocuted, was found next to an electricity pylon in Manggatal near here on Friday (Sept 30).
The body was found in Taman Flamingo by passers-by who then alerted the authorities at about 5.45pm.
City police chief Asst Comm Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said they also notified utility company Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) which then sent a team to ensure the scene was safe before responders could take any action.
He said there were no identification documents found on the victim who is believed to be in his 30s.
“The man was found lying face up and we believe the death occurred more than 24 hours before his body was found,” he said, when contacted on Saturday (Oct 1).
“Based on initial checks on the body, we suspect the man had died due to electrocution.
“There were no visible injuries to suggest foul play at this moment. We also did not find any weapon at the location,” he added.
ACP Zaidi said the body has been sent to the forensics department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here for an autopsy.
In an unrelated incident, a young man said to have gone missing after a so-called “supernatural encounter” was eventually found safe in a mosque at Kampung Lok Bonu in Petagas near here.
A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they initially received a call over the 21-year-old man’s disappearance from his mother at 8.15pm on Friday.
The mother, the spokesman said, claimed her son had gone missing earlier at 6.40pm and that villagers had failed to locate him despite a thorough search in the village.
“According to the mother, her son was being disturbed by spirits,” the spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.
“The fire team then mounted a search at the area where the man was reported to have gone missing and later found him safe at Masjid Jamek in nearby Putatan, some 2km from his house.”
The spokesman said the man was later returned to the family, adding the search was ended at 9.55pm.