SEREMBAN (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A man was found dead, believed to have been beaten to death, for allegedly stealing a pair of sports shoes worth RM200 (S$63) from a second hand clothing shop in Jalan Merlin, Tampin.

Tampin district police chief Supt Hamazah Abdul Razak said the man's brother reported that he was driving along Jalan Batu Satu at 4.45am on Saturday (March 11) when he saw a crowd.

"He stopped and saw his younger brother, 27, lying on the road. He rushed his brother to Tampin Hospital where doctors said he had died," Supt Hamazah said in statement.

Earlier, at 2am, police received a report from a second hand clothing shop owner that he caught a man stealing a pair of sports shoes by wearing them.

Police have arrested the shop owner, two shop assistants and the victim's brother, aged 30 to 34, to assist in the investigation.