Malaysia woman who chained daughter to pole as punishment released after questioning

The girl's leg was chained to a lamp post at an apartment block in Petaling Jaya as punishment. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian police have questioned and released a 30-year-old woman, who had chained her daughter's leg to a lamp post at an apartment block in Petaling Jaya as punishment.

Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohammad Azlin Sadari said police were alerted about the incident at the Lagoon Perdana apartment at Bandar Sunway at about 6.35pm on Wednesday (Oct 26).

"When our men arrived at the scene, a group of people had already gathered around the girl who was chained to a pole," he said.

Ten minutes later, the mother arrived and admitted to chaining her daughter.

Police then advised the mother to release the eight-year-old girl who was chained as punishment as she often refused to go to school.

He added that both mother and daughter were brought to the Subang Jaya district police headquarters for questioning.

ACP Azlin said that it was the first time the girl was chained and police later released the woman and girl.

He added police were investigating the case under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect and exposure of a child to physical injury.

Photos of the girl clad in a school uniform had gone viral on social media. The images circulating on Facebook since Wednesday evening show the girl's right leg being chained to a pole while her school bag and water bottle are left lying on the ground beside her.

Netizens were quick to condemn the act, with many of them blaming the girl's parents for resorting to such measures to punish their child.

However, others defended the "tough love" move by the parents, but disagreed with such public punishment.

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