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enpasar Police have begun a probe into the death of Australian man Stephen James Richardson, 63, who was found dead in his rental house with wounds to his body.

“We allege the victim was murdered,” Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said.

Richardson was found dead on Monday afternoon by his Australian friend, Garry James Croker. Croker looked for Richardson after failing to contact him for days. Croker decided to go to his friend’s house to check on his condition. However, the house gates were locked. He went to the owner of the house who lived next to Richardson’s house to get the spare key. However. as there was no spare key, Croker decided to jump through the fence to get in.

Croker found Richardson lying on a thin mattress with blood stains inside the house. The main door of the house was locked by a padlock from the outside, Hadi said.

“We have questioned several witnesses. From their testimonies, we have some clues, but only as to where the victim was last seen. We cannot reveal anymore about the case yet,” he added.