ALOR SETAR: A cattle breeder was found dead, with gunshot and stab wounds, by the roadside in Kongsi 14, Sungai Petani, last night, according to the police.

Passers-by called the police after seeing the body of the 38-year-old man lying prone at about 11 pm, Kuala Muda District Police chief ACP Adzli Abu Shah said today.

An inspection by a forensics team found a gunshot wound in the front of the body and a stab wound in the back, he said in a statement.

A bullet casing was also found at the location, he added.

"The motive for the murder has yet to be established. There have been no arrests so far," he said, adding that the body has been sent to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital.

Adzli said the man had five previous criminal records.


Meanwhile, Kedah police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said three men, aged between 18 and 34, had been arrested in connection with the murder.

He said the suspects were nabbed in several raids conducted in the area this morning.

"All three have been remanded until Aug 30 to assist in investigation into the murder.

"We have yet to ascertain the motive for the murder, and we are looking for their friends who might have been involved too," he told reporters after visiting the crime scene today.

Kamarul Zaman urged anyone with information on the case to contact the police.

-- BERNAMA