PETALING JAYA: The police have arrested a couple in connection with an incident involving an eight-year-old boy who had been locked up alone in a room at a flat in Ampang.
He is believed to be a victim of child abuse.
In a statement, Ampang Jaya district police chief Farouk Eshak said the couple was arrested at about 6pm yesterday.
He said the woman, 33, is the boy’s aunt and was unemployed with no criminal record while her husband is a 29-year-old e-hailing driver, with one criminal record, and that they had tested negative for drugs.
According to Farouk, the boy has a six-year-old sister who was also living with the suspects. He said she too, had bruises on her legs, arms and back, believed to be as a result of abuse.
“The victims have been staying with the suspects for the past two years after their father passed away. The mother does not want to care for them,” Farouk said.
He added that both victims were referred to Hospital Ampang for examination. The welfare department has also been informed about the victims.
Farouk said the case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act. The section carries a punishment of up to 10 years in jail, or a fine not more than RM20,000, or both, upon conviction.
The suspects will be brought to the Ampang courts for a remand application today.
Yesterday, firemen rescued the boy as he attempted to escape through a window on the fourth floor of the building, in Jalan Cahaya, Ampang.
The incident was noticed by a member of the public who alerted the security guard at the building.