Girl, 6, who went missing in Johor found in Selangor; Malaysia police arrest 5 for kidnapping, sexual assault
The girl was found on Tuesday morning in Batang Kali, Selangor, after being separated from her family at a mall on Jul 20.
Two of the four suspects in the kidnapping case of a six-year-old girl, who were remanded for 4 days for their involvement, being escorted outside Johor Bahru High Court on Jul 23, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas)
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JOHOR BAHRU: A six-year-old girl who went missing in Johor on Saturday (Jul 20) has been rescued more than 350km away in Selangor state.
Malaysia police have arrested five people - three men and two women - in total to assist with investigations relating to the case.
The suspects have been apprehended for kidnapping under section 365 of the Penal Code as well as section 14 (A) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which pertains to touching a child for sexual purposes.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Johor police chief M Kumar confirmed that she was found safe at a budget hotel in Batang Kali, Selangor, a district located around 50km from Kuala Lumpur.
He said the suspects are being held under sexual assault charges because the child was handled without consent. He also added that the police are investigating the motive, as there were no calls for ransom.
The police chief said that the five suspects are Malaysian citizens and are all not related to the victim.
"The victim has been sent to hospital for a medical check-up, her family has been informed," said the police chief.
Mr M Kumar added that the suspect's motives are still being investigated and they will be remanded to allow police to continue with investigations.
He added that the case was resolved successfully within 48 hours with the help of tip-offs from members of the public as well as efforts across all departments of the Malaysian police force.
The girl was allegedly separated from her family following an event held at the Eco Galleria mall in Johor’s Iskandar Puteri.
She was reportedly last seen by her father at about 8.30pm on Jul 20 and was wearing a white T-shirt with a Mickey Mouse image on the chest and shorts.
Photos of the girl, allegedly taken at the event, shortly made the rounds on social media, according to local publications.
According to The Star, reports that the girl had been seen at the Johor Bahru Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex had also been circulating online, sparking concerns that she might have been taken out of Malaysia.
The girl is around 120cm tall, with long black hair, local media reported. Her name, as well as that of her mother, had been reported by several media outlets but CNA is withholding the details to protect her identity in view of the alleged sexual assault offence against her.
According to a report by The Sun in February, an average of two children in Malaysia went missing every day in the country between 2021 and 2023.
Most were located or returned home on their own, the report said.
And of the 779 reported cases of missing children last year, the police managed to find 709 of them, according to Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division chief assistant director ACP Siti Kamsiah Hassan.
