A 17-year-old boy has been remanded for four days to assist police in the investigation into the discovery of a newborn baby girl believed to have been abandoned in a bush near a house in Kampung Jawa, Tawau, on Tuesday.
The remand order, which runs until 26 July, was issued by Magistrate Don Stiwin Malanjum at the Tawau Magistrate’s Court to allow police to complete their investigation, including obtaining DNA samples, under Section 317 of the Penal Code for child abandonment.
The remand application was filed by Tawau District Police Headquarters (IPD) investigating officer Inspector Robiatul Adawiyah Japri.
According to the case facts, the baby, believed to have been born only hours earlier, was found by members of the public at around 6am in a bush near a house in Kampung Jawa.
A Ministry of Health (MOH) ambulance responded to an emergency call and rushed to the scene before taking the infant to Tawau Hospital for further examination and treatment.
Following the discovery, police arrested a teenage couple in Kampung Jawa, near the location where the baby was found, at around 10.40pm on the same day.
The 15-year-old girl, who is also being investigated, is currently receiving treatment at Tawau Hospital.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old suspect has also been placed under 14-day detention by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) after authorities found that he did not possess valid identification documents.
