NIBONG TEBAL: The charred remains of a male victim was found sprawled in an oil palm plantation behind a factory in Jalan Bukit Panchor here yesterday.
Police were alerted to the man's body at about 6.50pm, which was found with both shoes still intact, while his clothes were burnt.
Seberang Prai Selatan district police chief Superintendent Lee Chong Chern said the deceased has been identified as S.S. Shashi Kumar, 28, from Bayan Lepas.
He said the site of the incident was an oil palm plantation which was located behind a factory in Jalan Bukit Panchor, Nibong Tebal. The road behind the factory was a dead end with the nearest residential area about a kilometre away.
"The condition of the body, when found, was charred and sprawled. Both shoes were still intact while the clothes burnt. There were also burnt marks at the base of an oil palm tree about 2m from where the body was found. A lighter and a mineral water bottle, believed to be filled with petrol, were also found nearby.
"The case has been classified as a sudden death report (SDR) pending a post-mortem tomorrow since no suspicious criminal element was found, The deceased could have taken his own life," he said today.
Elaborating, Lee said a blue colour Honda Accord car was also found some 15m from the site where the body was discovered. All was in order and there were no signs of a struggle.
"Checks on the vehicle registration plate showed it was registered under a man, whose MyKad was found inside the car, believed to belong to the deceased," he added.
A forensic team from the state police contingent headquarters has since collected 14 samples from inside the car and eight samples from the scene near the body for further investigations.
No weapon was found which could be linked to the incident, and injuries were consistent with burning.
A team from the state police contingent headquarters' K9 unit was also unable to find any leads at the scene.