JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA — Suspected of being abused and tortured by others, a four-year-old boy under critical care at a hospital, was pronounced dead at 6.40 pm yesterday (26 Dec).
According to Harian Metro, the police had initiated investigations of a possible case of child abuse as the victim sustained multiple injuries prior to his death.
Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, Johor police chief, said the boy was admitted to Sultan Ismail Hospital on 23 December after fainting at a house in Senggarang, Batu Pahat.
The boy’s parents were in jail for a drug offence. He had been looked after by his older sister.
However, the victim was subsequently handed over to the sister’s friend for caretaking.
Kamarul added that five suspects, involving two men and three women, aged between 15 and 37, were arrested by police between 12 pm and 9.45 pm on Saturday (24 December).
“We believe they were involved in the incident of abusing the victim, which led to the victim’s death.”
He said police had seized a mobile phone charger, a metal rod measuring 29 inches, a motorcycle stand, a pillowcase, a bed-sheet, a clothes hangar, and a fan cover suspected of being used in abusing the victim.
Police chief: “Heartbreaking” to look at the boy’s condition
Kamarul described that it was “heartbreaking” to look at the condition of the boy’s body in the morgue.
“Injuries were found on almost the entire body of the victim, from head to toe, including on his genitals. These wounds could be marks of being beaten, and there were even wound marks probably from a hot iron rod, ” he said.
Kamarul shared that initially, custody was given to the boy’s grandfather after his mother was arrested by the police. But later, his grandpa could not bear the incessant cries of the deceased boy.
“The child often cried probably due to some illness, he was born prematurely and based on the medical report, his lungs were not fully developed, causing him to be unhealthy.”
The grandfather handed the child back to the Department of Social Welfare(JKM), under JKM’s care, the boy was fine and safe. The boy later returned to his mother when the later was released from detention.
“Unfortunately, the boy’s mother was again arrested by police in September, the temporary custody was passed to the victim’s 19-year-old sister, who married a 37-year-old male.”
Both of them do not have a permanent job. They are arrested by police, together with their friends aged 15 to 37.
“All these suspects were found to be negative for drug tests. They have no past criminal records,” Kamarul added.
The case was investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 earlier.
However, police have reclassified the case due to the death of the victim under Section 302 of the Penal Code (for murder).
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