SERI ALAM: Police have confirmed receiving a report that an 11-year-old girl was given up by her mother, in the wake of a widely shared Facebook post claiming the child had been neglected.
Seri Alam OCPD Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the report was lodged by a 42-year-old woman who works as a kindergarten manager in Taman Scientex, Pasir Gudang, at 8pm on Sunday (July 15).
“The woman came to hand the child over to the Social Welfare Department as the mother could no longer care for her.
“The child has also been reported to have run away from home before,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (July 18).
The 38-year-old mother also lodged a police report at 8.20pm on Saturday (July 16) saying that she was willing to let her child go due to living constraints, he added.
“The girl was handed over to a child care centre in Johor Baru.
“The case has been handed over to the Social Welfare Department for further action.
“Initial investigations found that the mother is suffering from depression and is being treated at Hospital Permai,” he said, adding that the child is currently staying at the TBQ Amal centre.
There were no signs of neglect or physical or sexual abuse on the girl, he added.
Earlier, a Facebook user named Herman Sudil posted a picture of an 11-year-old girl, claiming that the child had been neglected by her mother as the stepfather claimed the girl was "problematic".
At the time of writing, the post had more than 9,000 shares and over 3,600 comments.
