Third baby dumped in Sabah in 4 days
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
In the latest baby-dumping case in Sabah, a newborn baby boy was found abandoned in the area underneath a house on stilts in Kampung Sapat.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
KOTA KINABALU – Another baby-dumping case has been reported in Sabah, this time in the south-western Papar district.
This latest case, which was reported on Tuesday, was the third incident within four days in Sabah state. The first case was reported on June 10.
In the Papar case, a newborn baby boy was found abandoned in the area underneath a house on stilts in Kampung Sapat.
The Papar OCPD – officer in charge of the police district – Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Kamaruddin Ambo Sakka, said the 52-year-old house owner made the discovery after checking on the sound of a baby crying at about 4am.
He said the man heard the cries when he woke up to go to the toilet.
DSP Kamaruddin said that as the man was unsure what the sound really was, he waited about 10 minutes, but could still hear the cries.
The man finally gathered the courage to walk down the steps of the stilt house to have a look, and saw something moving in the dark.
“He moved towards it and was shocked to see a baby left in the cold of the morning without a single thread on his body,” DSP Kamaruddin said when contacted.
“He immediately called out to his wife to grab a towel to swaddle the baby.”
The family then alerted the police to the find, DSP Kamaruddin said, adding that the baby was later sent to the district hospital for a check-up.
“A medical officer found that the baby boy was born less than 24 hours ago... The newborn is reported to be (in a stable condition) and has been placed in the children’s ward,” DSP Kamaruddin said, adding that the Welfare Department has been notified of the matter.
He said the police were in the midst of searching for those responsible for dumping the baby, and the case was being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code on child abandonment.
He urged those with information about the case to help the probe by visiting their nearest police station or contacting the investigating officer, Sergeant Noor Azura Linggisan, on 016-826-2067.
On Saturday, the body of a newborn baby, with its umbilical cord still attached, was found floating in the waters of Sabah’s Kampung Tanjung Aru Lama water village.
And on Monday, a healthy newborn baby boy was found abandoned on top of a chicken coop in Lahad Datu district on Sabah’s east coast. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
