Man found dead not far from homemade shotgun

KINABATANGAN, Malaysia A man was found dead not far from where a homemade shotgun and a spent bullet were recovered at an oil palm plantation in Tongod.

The carcass of a wildboar was also found in a sack next to the decomposed body by police who reached the remote location in the sub-district after the plantation manager made the discovery on Saturday morning.

The deceased was identified as Mimil Manau, 51, a civil servant who lived at the nearby Forestry department quarters in Imbak. State Criminal Investigations Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Omar Mammah confirmed the report.

Investigations will be conducted to determine if Mimil had accidentally shot himself, a police source said.

Mimil who was orginally from another village in the sub-district, Kampung Sogo-Sogo, lives alone at the quarters for general workers but was supposed to return home Thursday.

His remains was found face-down between oil palm trees and he also had a parang tied with a string on his waistline.

The length of "bakakuk" or homemade shotgun was found at least four metres away from the body along with the spent 12 bore cartridge.

The body has been sent for post mortem at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan but initial findings by the police showed that Mimil could have been shot from close range.