BUKIT MERTAJAM, Penang (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A restaurant owner made a grisly find when he stumbled upon a human head with the ears missing outside his shop in Lorong Impian Ria 5 in Bukit Mertajam, which is on the mainland part of the Malaysian state of Penang.

Penang CID chief Senior Assistant Commissoner Mazlan Kesah said police received a report from the 35-year-old owner, who found the head in a black plastic bag placed in front of his shop.

"According to the owner, he was cleaning his shop compound when he saw the bag on the walkway. When he opened it, he saw the head covered in blood.

"The ears had been cut off. Although we could not find any documentation, we believe that the victim was a male between 20 and 30 years old," he told reporters at the scene yesterday.

Mr Mazlan said the authorities would search for the body.

"The victim might have been killed elsewhere and dumped here. We believe that he died in the last 24 hours," he said, adding that the police had checked footage of CCTVs installed near the scene.

"Two people were seen pulling up on a motorcycle at around 9.30pm on Sunday and throwing the bag onto the walkway. Since they wore helmets, we could not identify them.

"We will continue to check and process CCTV footage and collect footage from other CCTVs nearby," he said, urging those with any information on the case to come forward.

The find is the latest in a string of grisly murders involving Myanmar nationals in Penang. At least 18 of them have been found dead, some in grisly fashion. Police say the cases are not related and dismiss all talk of a serial killer.