Police have called on the public to help identify the bodies of seven men who were found dumped next to the N12 Highway.

The men were discovered by a passer-by at the Putfontein off-ramp near Benoni on Thursday evening.

The police’s Noxolo Kweza said six of the bodies had sustained upper body trauma including gunshot wounds, while one was completely charred.

Kweza said the men are believed to be linked to illegal mining activities in the area and could have been murdered underground.

“At this stage, we haven’t been able to identify the bodies, but we’re working on the investigation. What we can say is that they’re all males, aged between 30-40.”