The remand order for the 28-year-old was issued by magistrate J Savinder Singh at the Bukit Mertajam magistrates’ court.

The investigation is being conducted under Section 302 of the Penal Code, Sinar Harian reported.

Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Helmi Aris said the body of the 44-year-old woman was discovered fully clothed on a mattress in one of the rooms in the flat.

He said the woman was believed to have died several days earlier, and that the forensic team had collected several samples, including a knife believed to have been used by the suspect.

“The victim’s body was sent to the forensic unit at Seberang Jaya Hospital for an autopsy,” he said in a statement.

He said investigations were ongoing to determine the motive for the murder, and urged the public not to speculate on the case.