An 18-year-old girl, who was arrested for allegedly throwing a newborn baby from a residential unit on the fourth floor of a flat in Persiaran Mayang Pasir 5, Bayan Baru, on Wednesday was remanded for seven days to assist in the investigation on the case.

Southwest district police chief Supt A. A Anbalagan said the teenager who worked as a shop assistant was discharged from the Penang Hospital (HPP) last Friday and was remanded from yesterday.

"After she was arrested on Friday, the girl was sent to the Penang Hospital for treatment for giving birth to a baby girl and she was discharged last Friday after her conditions improved.

"Meanwhile, the baby is still receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the same hospital and is reported to be stable.

"The doctor said the infant does not need to undergo surgery as the brain injury is not serious but needs to be closely monitored," he said today.

Anbalagan said the teenager's boyfriend, who also worked as a shop assistant, was remanded six days and the case is being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code.

He said police were conducting further investigations including completing the investigation papers on the case before submitting it to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for further action.

In the incident on Wednesday, the girl was arrested after throwing a newly-born baby from the fourth floor of a flat unit she was staying with her family at Persiaran Mayang Pasir 5, Bayan Baru, near here.

The normal baby girl who was still alive was found in a bag tainted with blood behind the flat block by a resident who heard a loud sound in an incident at 8 am.

A police investigation led to the arrest of the girl, who confessed to giving birth to the baby in the toilet of her flat at 7 am unknown to her family, before she threw it over the balcony in panic and fear of discovery.

Other than an injured brain, the baby also had a cracked cranium and an injured liver and had to be referred to specialists at the hospital for further examinations.

-- BERNAMA