KUALA TERENGGANU: Fresh from the burial of a three-year-old girl suspected to have been a victim of abuse, her 23-year-old single mother was taken to the station for questioning.
Terengganu CID chief Asst Comm K. Manoharan said the woman was taken to the Kuala Besut police station after the girl’s funeral in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, at around 4.30pm on Saturday.
Puteri Qristina Balqis Abdullah, said to be one of the woman’s five children, was rushed from her home in Kampung Seberang Jerteh to the Besut Hospital in an ambulance a day earlier after she was found with bruises on the forehead, under the eyelids and on her back.
Her mother accompanied the little girl to the hospital where she was pronounced dead after a medical examination by two doctors at around 8pm.
The woman was escorted by police during the burial of the child before she was taken away for questioning.
ACP Manoharan said the post-mortem results revealed that Puteri Qristina had injuries on her skull as well as wounds in her abdomen, believed to be caused by a blunt object.
“The case is being investigated for abuse but we are also not ruling out the possibility that the child could have sustained the injuries from falling down,” he said.
He also warned the public not to speculate on the incident until investigations had been completed.
The case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, a fine or both, if convicted.
The woman, who does not have a fixed job, also has a disabled child.-thestaronline
