An African woman murdered and left in a suitcase by a roadside may have been in a row with a man near where her body was found.

Garda forensic officers have been carrying out fingertip searches of rubbish bins where the student, from Malawi, was found in a large travel bag in the Blackhorse Avenue area of north Dublin.

Detectives said it is possible there may have been a row between a black woman and a man in the area on Saturday evening.

The investigation is focusing on whether the victim, aged in her mid-20s, was killed near where her body was dumped.

As officers traced the young student's family with the help of the Malawi embassy in London, detectives were sifting through wheelie bins on the road where the grim discovery was made. They also examined under parked cars and the contents of public city council bins on St David's Terrace.

Superintendent James Hynes appealed for anyone who may have seen a couple rowing in the area of Blackhorse Avenue, Stoneybatter, Aughrim Street and Prussia Street on Saturday afternoon or early evening to come forward.

It is believed the woman, with a last known address at a flat on Leinster Road in Rathmines, may have been in a relationship with an African man.

She had been strangled or suffocated and was found with a plastic bag over her head but no other serious injuries to her body.

Gardai believe the suitcasewas left on St David's Terrace no later than 7pm on Saturday, according to a report from a witness.

The woman was fully clothed in jeans, boots and a fleece top and described as smartly dressed. She was of petite build and about 5ft tall.