KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The mother of a six-year-old girl who died after falling from an escalator at a shopping mall will be investigated for possible parental negligence.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Ahmad, who heads the Malaysian city's criminal investigation department, said last Saturday that the police are investigating the incident for all aspects of negligence, including any on the part of the mother.

"We are investigating the case from all angles. We hope the public can refrain from speculating on the matter," he said.

The police have already recorded statements from several individuals, including family members and the mall management, the Malay Mail reported.

A source close to the investigation said a remark would be included in the investigation papers to note that the incident might have been caused by parental negligence.

The police could reclassify the case under the Child Act 2001 should they receive directives from the deputy public prosecutor's office to do so, the source added.

The minute-long CCTV footage of the incident, which took place at Kenanga Wholesale City mall last Friday, has gone viral online, sparking outrage among netizens.

In the recording, the mother can be seen fiddling with her phone shortly before the girl fell.

The child, identified as Nurhayada Sofia Musa, was playing near an escalator; her mother and sister were nearby. Nurhayada fell through a gap between the balustrade and the escalator, and plunged to the basement of the mall.

The mother was then seen running down the escalator with her other child.

Nurhayada died from severe head injuries.