Acting Kota Kinabalu police chief Syed Lot Syed Ab Rahman said the main suspect, in his 70s, was arrested at around 5pm while his son, in his 20s, was detained at 11pm at a house in Sepanggar.

“The main suspect was arrested while the second suspect was detained to assist in the investigation. The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code,” he said when contacted.

He said the motive was believed to be jealousy and that, with the arrests, the case was considered solved although the investigation papers had yet to be completed.

The arrests followed an operation by the criminal investigation division of the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters with assistance from Bukit Aman, the criminal investigation department of the Sabah police contingent headquarters, D8 technical assistance unit, and crime prevention patrol unit of the Luyang police station.

A sanitation worker discovered several of the victim’s dismembered body parts at a dumpsite in Indah Permai at about 7am yesterday. Further searches led to the discovery of the victim’s head and torso nearby.