Detectives are hoping members of Bradford's Asian community may hold the key to solving a body-in-the-bag mystery.

The badly decomposed male corpse was found in a sports bag by the side of a Sheffield road two months ago.

Despite extensive inquiries by police his identity and the circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery.

It is believed the man may have originated from the Indian subcontinent and that he was Pakistani, Indian or Bengali.

Now experts have produced a facial reconstruction of the man and hope someone from Bradford's Asian community can put a name to the face.

Detective Sergeant Sue Williams, of South Yorkshire Police, told the Telegraph & Argus: "The man may have originated from the Bradford area or may have relatives in the city.

"Many members of the Asian community in Sheffield have relatives in Bradford and we are hoping someone from the community can help identify this man.

"It is apparent that the man has been dead for some years, although the corpse had only been moved recently.

"We are treating the death as highly suspicious but there are lots of possibilities. He may have been left by the road because his relatives were afraid of contacting the authorities."

The body was found on January 22 in Kettlebridge Road, Attercliffe, Sheffield.

It had been wrapped in a sheet of damp proofing material secured by blue nylon rope, then placed into a "Rucanor" make blue and green sports bag.

Medical tests have shown he was in his 50s, between 5ft 4ins and 5ft 8ins tall, of slim build with dark brown almost black hair with some grey and a wispy moustache.

He suffered from extensive osteo-arthritis in his spine, neck arthritis and hands. He had had operations performed on both feet, which involved the insertion of surgical screws into both big toes, one screw was removed prior to his death.

Detectives believe he may have been involved in physically demanding manual work and his medical condition may have caused him considerable back pain.

He had severe gum disease and the chewing surfaces of his teeth are flat - indicating an unusual chewing habit.

Anyone with information which may help detectives with their inquiries is asked to contact the incident Room at Attercliffe Police Station on Sheffield 0114 2964471.

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