Yan police chief Hamizi Abdullah said they comprised two local men and four Bangladeshi men, aged between 29 and 44, who lived in the same house as the victim.

“The incident is believed to have occurred at around 1pm today when one suspect, a 42-year-old local man, reprimanded the victim, a 37-year-old Bangladeshi man who was his colleague, for being late for work.

“The dissatisfied suspect then grabbed a small piece of iron while the victim went to the kitchen to get a parang. The victim then swung the parang at the suspect,” he said in a statement.

Hamizi said the suspect, who managed to dodge the parang, threw the iron piece onto the floor before grabbing a nearby cable and strangling the victim.

“While they were struggling, the suspect noticed the victim had lost consciousness. The suspect then went to a police station to lodge a report about the incident, and the investigation found three ligature marks on the victim’s neck and a wound on his lip.

“Police confiscated a roll of wire, a parang, and a concrete iron bar. All those detained work as construction labourers, and a remand application will be made tomorrow,” he said.

He added that the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.