Negeri Sembilan social welfare department (JKM) director Yusry Che Dah said the centre had been operating without approval under the Child Care Centre Act 1984, Bernama reported.

“Even if a daycare centre operates from a house, it must be registered with JKM if it cares for four or more children. JKM will conduct a detailed inspection before granting approval.

“In this case, the daycare centre is believed to have been in operation for almost two years. Based on initial reports, there were six to seven children under the care of the nanny involved,” he was quoted as saying.

Previously, Seremban police chief Azahar Abdul Rahim said a report on the child’s death was received at around 6.26pm last Monday.

“Initial investigations found that the child was already unconscious when her mother went to pick her up from the babysitter’s house,” he said.

He added that the mother then took the girl to a private clinic, where the doctor attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but found the victim had already died.

Azahar said police had detained the 32-year-old babysitter to record her statement and she was later released on bail.

“Our investigation found that the victim had been under the babysitter’s care for about five months. The victim was also said to have been in a weak condition before the incident,” he added.

The girl’s body was sent to Rembau Hospital for a post-mortem and the results showed injuries to her abdomen.

Azahar said the case was being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for abandoning, neglecting, or exposing a child to danger, causing injury.

Meanwhile, Yusry advised parents to ensure they send their children to registered childcare centres so that the children are cared for in accordance with established regulations, thereby reducing the risk of untoward incidents.

He also said JKM would not compromise with any operator who violates the law as the safety and welfare of children remained a top priority.