Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim said the eight-year-old boy was now placed at the Taman Bakti Children’s Home, Kepala Batas.

“The child is healthy, very active and does not show any signs of trauma. However, we are providing counselling and will ensure he gets the best treatment,” she said.

Rohani also urged the boy’s mother to contact the Social Welfare Department (JKM) to resolve the issue of the child’s welfare.

“The JKM is aware that the woman is now in Sabah, but has yet to find her exact location. So, we are now asking the woman to come to the nearest JKM office,” she said.

The media had previously reported that the child was stripped naked and chained to the stairway for five hours by his father who claimed that it was a punishment for him being naughty.

It is learnt that the boy is a hyperactive child and has been left with his father since he was eight months old.

The case caught the attention of the public after a neighbour recorded a video of the incident and shared it on Facebook.

The boy’s father, a 45-year-old van driver, surrendered to the police on Monday.

– BERNAMA