A homicide investigation is underway in Nuku'alofa after the body of a 44-year-old shopkeeper was found in his premises in the CBD on Friday evening.

Assistant Police Commander 'Atelaite Soakai said today that police received a report at 6:00 pm on Friday June 15, that a person had died in an electronics maintenance shop on Railway Road.

"The circumstances were suspicious and Police are treating it as a homicide investigation," she said. "There were injuries to the man's head."

The man was last seen alive at 10:20pm on Thursday.

Police confirmed that the deceased was a Chinese national who arrived in Tonga in 2009. It is believed that he lived alone in the premises where he repaired televisions, laptops and other electronic equipment.

The police have contacted the Chinese Embassy to locate next of kin, while the man's body is in the mortuary.

Railway Road crime scene. The "OPEN" sign showing in the window of the electronics
repair shop, suggests that it may have been open for business when the shopkeeper died.