Four-year-old boy dies after alleged abuse in Johor

Johor police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the boy was admitted to the hospital on Dec 23 after fainting at a house in Senggarang, Batu Pahat, at 6.45 pm the same day.

"The boy died at the hospital at 6.40 pm yesterday. A post-mortem will be conducted today," he said in a statement.

Kamarul Zaman said the victim, whose parents were in jail for a drug offence, was cared for by his older sister, who then left the boy with her friend to be cared for.

He said the police had arrested two men and three women, including the victim's 19-year-old sister and her husband, and they were in remand for seven days until Dec 31 for investigation.

Following their arrest, the police also seized several items, including a mobile phone charger, a pillowcase, a bed-sheet, a metal rod measuring 29 inches, a clothes hangar, a fan cover and a motorcycle stand, suspected of being used to abuse the boy.

The case was initially investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, but the case was later reclassified for investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code (for murder), he said.