Ms Kiang Wei, 33, believed to have been repeatedly raped, was found sprawled in a pool of blood at an apartment in Jalan Pasar in Pudu.

A security guard, going on his rounds at 1.30am on Sunday, found the front door of Ms Kiang's fifth floor unit ajar.

Suspecting something amiss, he went inside and found the body and called the police.

Dang Wangi police chief Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said a police forensics team found a blood stained knife, believed to have been used in the incident.

'A used condom was also found on the floor, near the bed where Kiang Wei was. We believe the victim knew her assailants, as there were no signs of forced entry.

'The unit was not ransacked,' he said, adding that police had classified the case as murder.

ACP Zulkarnain said police had yet to establish the full identity of the victim as they only found a photocopy version of her passport. 'She has been here for several months.' -- The Star/ANN.