While the incident is believed to have taken place at a shopping mall in the Sabah capital, Kota Kinabalu police chief Zaidi Abdullah could not confirm if it occurred there.

He said they were still gathering information on the incident, adding that no one has filed a police report yet.

“However, we are conducting an investigation into the viral video and have instructed all personnel to obtain information on the incident, the location and the perpetrator.

“We would like to get members of the public to come forward and provide us with information,” he said in a statement.

The 18-second clip showed the boy repeatedly hitting the girl with his bare hand and kicking her in the stomach. He had also used his shoe to assault the victim.

The girl could be heard wailing while standing against a wall.