Police receive 17 more reports against daycare suspected of SOP violations, child abuse

SHAH ALAM - Police have recorded the statement of the founder of a daycare centre to assist investigations into its branch premises, which are believed to be involved in violations of standard operating procedures (SOPs), including alleged child abuse that recently went viral on social media.

Shah Alam district police chief Assistant Commissioner Ramsay Embol said that as of 12.46pm, police had received 17 additional reports related to the case.

“We have called individuals linked to the daycare branch as well as its founder to have their statements recorded to assist in the investigation.

“We are also continuing investigations and conducting checks on licences or approval certificates and other related matters,” he said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, the media reported that police had received three reports concerning the daycare branch.

Ramsay was quoted as saying that police had also recorded the statement of an influencer who exposed the incident and were examining closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the premises of the branch involved.

Reports were lodged by parents, including one involving a child with autism. So far, there are still other branches under investigation that have yet to hand over CCTV recordings and seizures will be carried out.

He said the investigation is being conducted under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001.

Earlier, a video believed to have been shared by a staff member of a daycare centre in Shah Alam went viral on social media, allegedly showing an autistic child locked in a storage room while crying uncontrollably.

Another video that also went viral showed children at the same daycare’s branch in Puchong, Selangor, allegedly being instructed to crawl through a drain to avoid inspection by the Social Welfare Department (JKM).