JEMPOL – The body believed to be that of a six-year-old boy who was reported missing in Johor Bahru last week was discovered buried in a bushy area in Rompin here on Monday.
Negeri Sembilan Police Chief Datuk Ahmad Dzaffir Mohd Yussof said the Jempol District Police Headquarters (IPD) received information about the discovery around 4.30pm.
He said initial investigations revealed that the child had been reported missing in Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru, on July 24 and the case was initially investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 and classified as a missing person.
“Following the missing person report, the Johor Contingent Police arrested a man believed to be the victim’s biological father, aged 36, at around 12 noon on the same day (July 24) in Johor Bahru, which subsequently led to the discovery of the child’s body,” he said in a statement last night.
The victim was suspected to have been murdered before being buried.
“The case is now being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries the death penalty or a maximum prison sentence of 40 years and whipping, upon conviction,” he said.
The body was sent to Hospital Rembau for a post-mortem.
Previously, the police sought public assistance to locate the missing child, who was reported missing while at a kopitiam in Taman Bukit Indah.
Iskandar Puteri District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner M Kumarasan earlier said the boy’s father lodged a police report at about 2.15am on July 26.
According to the initial description, the child was approximately 110 centimetres tall, weighed 19 kilograms, had a dark complexion and a sharp nose.