North Sumatra Police found the body of a man believed to be a Malaysian in a ditch in Desa Liberia, Teluk Mengkudu in Serdang district, about 50 kilometres from Medan, on Wednesday.

According to a medansatu.com report, police suspected the man was a Malaysian, based on the stub of an airline ticket found in the pocket of his pants.

The Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight ticket was from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Kualanamu International Airport, Medan, dated Nov 14.

A Teluk Mengkudu police spokesman was quoted as saying, that other than fragments of the ticket, police did not find any identification documents and an examination by MAS officials confirmed the ticket and that the age of the man was 65.

Police then contacted the Indonesian Immigration Office at Kualanamu International Airport and confirmed that the man had arrived from Selangor, Malaysia, and at 7pm on Monday.

Police said there were bruises on the face and body believed to be caused by it being dragged. The body was sent to the Bhayangkara Hospital in Medan for a post-mortem.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, when contacted, said the Malaysian Consulate-General in Medan, had

been instructed to assist in the investigation and identifying the man.

"We still have not been able to confirm the dead man's nationality because no documents have been found. If he is found to be a Malaysian the Consulate- General in Medan will do the needful," he said. -- BERNAMA