The body of a man with both hands handcuffed in the front was found on the hill in Jalan Semarak Api, Farlim, here Sunday.

The dark-skinned body with no identification documents on it was found by the public about 1pm with 12 stab wounds on the stomach and back, including two in the face.

The body has been sent to the Penang Hospital for post-mortem.

Penang CID chief, SAC Mazlan Kesah said residents living around the area heard the sound of a fight on the hill between 10 and 11 last night.

"Initial investigations revealed that the victim had died within less than 16 hours, and police believe the crime was committed by more than one suspect and that a struggle had ensued," he told reporters when met at the scene.

When asked if the handcuffs belonged to the police, he said the handcuffs was an old model and the matter was still under investigation as was the nationality of the victim.

Mazlan said a vegetable cutting knife found near the body was suspected to be the murder weapon, however, there was no blood stains on it as it was exposed to rain overnight.

He appealed to anyone with information about the incident to contact the nearest police station to facilitate investigations.