TAWAU: A 17-year-old male school leaver has been remanded for four days to assist in the investigation into the discovery of a newborn baby girl who was found crying after allegedly being abandoned in a bush near a house in Kampung Jawa on Tuesday.
Magistrate Don Stiwin Malanjum issued the remand order until 26 July to allow police to continue investigations under Section 317 of the Penal Code, including the collection of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples.
The remand application was filed by District Police Headquarters (IPD) Criminal Investigation Department investigating officer Inspector Robiatul Adawiyah Japri on Wednesday after police were unable to complete investigations within the initial 24-hour detention period.
According to the facts presented in court, the baby girl, believed to have been born only recently, was discovered by members of the public at about 6am in a bush near a house in Kampung Jawa.
A Ministry of Health (MOH) ambulance responded to a public emergency call and rushed the infant, who was still alive, to Tawau Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Following the discovery, police arrested two teenagers in the village at about 10.40pm and 11.10pm on the same day, near the location where the baby was found.
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The baby’s 15-year-old mother is currently receiving treatment in a ward at Tawau Hospital and is under a 14-day remand by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) for allegedly being in the country without valid identification documents.
Meanwhile, the local male suspect, who will turn 18 in early August, arrived at the Tawau Magistrate’s Court at about 9.20am wearing a green collared shirt and shorts for the remand proceedings.
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