Father claims two-year-old daughter may have been kidnapped

JOHOR BARU: A man has lodged a police report claiming that his two-year-old daughter was kidnapped by a friend who took the toddler for a “walk”.

In his report lodged on Dec 10, the man claimed he only realised that his daughter had been kidnapped when the male friend did not return with the child after over a month.

He also claimed that before the friend took the daughter, Angie Tiong, for a walk from a budget hotel in Jalan Maju, Taman Pelangi on Nov 11, he had given him a “few thousand ringgit”.

Police have now arrested three suspects – a cook, a labourer and an unemployed man – all aged between 30 and 33 years, in their investigation into the “kidnapping” case and are on the lookout for more.

Asked if the father was one of those arrested, Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Sulaiman Salleh said: “He was investigated and remanded but later released.

“He (the father) is not among those arrested.”

ACP Sulaiman said in the police report, the father claimed the friend had told him that he wanted to take out his daughter for a walk and gave him few thousand ringgit before he went off.

“He (the father) only realised that he was cheated after a month because his daughter was still missing and the kidnapper, whom he befriended that very day, could not be reached until today,” he said when contacted.

A Nur Alert has been issued for the girl, who is listed as being 100cm tall and weighing 10kg when she was last seen.

Two of the suspects, said ACP Sulaiman, were detained on Dec 11 and the third was held on Dec 16.

The case is now being investiga­ted under Section 48 of the Child Act 2001.

Initial investigation showed that one of the suspects had five previous criminal and drug-related cases.

It is learnt that the toddler’s mother, a foreigner, is not in the country and that the father, who is an odd job worker, has been staying in various budget hotels here.