Man detained in connection with toddler's death

Police have detained a 28-year-old man in connection with the death of a two-year-old who was believed to have been abused by the mother's boyfriend, early this morning.

The victim, Muhammad Faiz Iqhmal Iskandar, died at his house in Kubang Rotan, Kuala Kedah, yesterday, while receiving treatment at a clinic.

Kota Setar CID chief DSP V. Saravanan said the suspect, believed to be the boyfriend of the victim's mother, was detained at 3am after a post-mortem report showed evidence that the toddler had died after being abused.

Saravanan said post-mortem reports from the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital showed swelling in his body, bruises on his face and injury to his testicles and pancreas.

He added that the case was being investigated for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

During the incident, Muhammad Faiz who was with his mother's boyfriend in a rented house in Kampung Berjaya, died at 3.30pm while being treated at a clinic.

The victim's mother, Norhafiza Othman, 25, who works in a restaurant at Jalan Pegawai said during the incident she had left Muhammad Faiz with her boyfriend before going to work at 12 noon yesterday.

"At about 3.30pm, he (boyfriend) called me and told me that my son was unconscious. He brought my unconscious son to my workplace and I later took him to a clinic but the doctor pronounced him dead.

"Not satisfied, I took him to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital and the doctor there confirmed that my son had died about an hour ago," she said when met at her mother's house in Simpang Kuala here today.

She hoped her boyfriend, the person believed to have abused the toddler, would be punished accordingly.

Norhafiza said she had also lodged a police report at the Kota Setar police headquarters in August on suspicion that her boyfriend had abused her son.