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SIPITANG – Panicking after their friend was accidentally shot while hunting, two men allegedly hid the victim's body in a nearby bush before the act was uncovered following a police report lodged by the victim's family over his disappearance.
The body of the man, believed to be in his 50s, was found in a state of decomposition in a forested area of Kampung Takula near here, several days after the incident, which is believed to have occurred on July 3.
Sipitang district police chief Superintendent Awang Anak Suanda said police initially received a missing persons report after the victim failed to return home after going out with two of his friends.
"On Tuesday, police classified the case as a missing persons report after family members informed us that the victim had left on Friday (July 3) with two friends.
"They were initially believed to have gone fishing. His two friends returned home on Sunday, but the victim did not return by Tuesday, prompting his family to lodge a police report," he told Sinar on Sunday.
He said further investigations led police to believe that the victim had been accidentally shot while hunting.
"Last Friday, police arrested the victim's two friends before they led officers to the location where the body had been concealed in a bush.
"The body was found in a state of decomposition. Preliminary investigations found that the suspects hid the body because they panicked and were afraid after the victim died from a gunshot wound," he said.
According to Awang, both suspects, who are also in their 50s, have been remanded to assist in the investigation.
"Police also seized two homemade 'bakakuk' firearms from the suspects.
"The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code," he said.