JOHOR BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Police are looking for the next of kin of a newborn baby girl who was discovered wrapped in a batik cloth, by the roadside along Jalan Tanjung Kupang in Gelang Patah here.

Iskandar Puteri OCPD Supt Noor Hashim Mohamad said that a 24-year-man found the infant alive at the 42nd kilometre stretch near SK Ladang Pendas at 2.30pm on Sunday (Dec 4).

"The man, who was riding on his motorcycle, spotted something moving on the grass by the roadside and stopped to inspect, only to find a baby.

"The baby looked healthy and clothed in a diaper. She was brought to the police station," he said.

He added that the child was taken to a nearby clinic.

Nurses confirmed the baby weighed 2.6kg and was believed to have been born less than 24 hours before she was found.

"We are unsure of the girl's ethnicity and she does not have any birthmark on her body," he said, adding that the infant was later referred to Hospital Sultanah Aminah for further observation.

Supt Noor Hashim said the case was being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code for abandoning a child below the age of 12 years old.