Three Bangladeshi nationals died after a fight involving several Bangladeshi workers in Taman Linggi, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysian police said.
A fourth Bangladeshi national was in hospital with serious injuries, police said.
Negeri Sembilan police chief Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said officers were alerted by local residents to the fight at about 4:15pm local time on Monday.
A police team from Linggi station went to the area and detained a Bangladeshi man estimated to be about 40 on suspicion of involvement, he said.
The detention is an investigative measure and no charge was specified.
Police said two bodies were recovered from the Linggi Sua Mangis estate, followed by the recovery of a third body.
The three dead men had serious injuries to multiple parts of their bodies, the police chief said.
Preliminary police findings indicate that those involved were colleagues who worked at the same place and lived in the same house.
Police said they were investigating the cause of the violence and whether it unfolded at more than one location.
The identities of the dead and injured had not been disclosed.