Praneeta Prakash 
[Photo: FBC NEWS]
A body discovered near Fletcher Road in Vatuwaqa today has brought the total number of bodies found in Fiji over the past month to four, raising concerns among communities.
The latest discovery was made in the Muaniwavu settlement, a normally quiet area, after a mother and daughter went to collect herbal medicine early this morning and came across a body near the mangroves.
They immediately reported the matter to the police.
An eyewitness, Waisake Sawanivalu, says police officers were taken to the scene by boat.
He says upon arrival, officers found skeletal remains, indicating the body had been there for some time, possibly since around Christmas.
Sawanivalu says the deceased is believed to be a young man aged between 25 and 30 years.
He says the remains were secured and placed in a body bag.
A nearby canteen operator Merewalesi Seruvatu, says she arrived at the area around 7am and noticed a small group of people gathered near a bridge.
“When I went there I just saw one police was standing down there standing where the, the place the body was found. And I asked the girl, I asked the girl, what happened? And she said, it’s one of the body.”
Seruvatu also says the body was in a decomposed state and that the incident has shocked residents, describing it as the first such discovery in the area.
Police investigations are ongoing, and the identity of the deceased is yet to be confirmed.
The Vatuwaqa discovery follows three other incidents in recent weeks.
On December 6, a woman’s body was found in Lautoka, a 15-year-old boy’s body was later discovered in Tamavua-i-Wai, and on Sunday, another man’s body was found in Lautoka.
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