Kedah Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Mior Farid Al-Athrash Wahid said the body of the victim, Kau Fu Eng, 71, was found by her daughter and granddaughter at 5.45pm.

“The victim was alone in the house as her daughter and granddaughter had gone out. Upon their return, they found the house in a mess, before finding her lying on the bed in a room.

“The police received a report at 6.13pm. Our investigation indicated that the victim was attacked by a robber who was suspected to have broken into the house using the back door that was believed to be unlocked,” he told reporters when met at the scene yesterday.

He said the suspect was believed to have strangled the victim using a towel and stuffed her mouth after she shouted out.

Mior Farid said the investigation also found that jewellery worth RM10,000, a tablet and several watches were missing.

“The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder,” he said.