SUNGAI PETANI (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The body of a premature baby found near a factory in Sungai Petani, Kedah was headless and armless because it had been gnawed on by stray dogs, police believe.

Kuala Muda police chief Asst Comm Md Zukir Md Isa said the baby is believed to have been dead for some two days, and was dumped before stray dogs found it.

"At this point, we suspect that the head and both the arms were eaten by the strays," he said when contacted on Tuesday (July 11).

"We are investigating the case under Section 318 of the Penal Code for concealment of birth by disposal of a dead body, and are looking for the parents of the newborn," he said.

Police were alerted about the body after a passer-by stumbled upon the gruesome remains near the factory in Bakar Arang here.

ACP Md Zukir said the man was curious when he saw stray dogs surrounding an object and upon closer inspection, saw the headless body of a baby.

The victim's cause of death has yet to be ascertained.