JOHOR BARU: Police have arrested three individuals to help with investigation into the case of missing six-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said the victim, however, is yet to be found and that the case is now framed under Section 365 of the Penal Code for kidnapping.
“The Johor police contingent has confirmed the reclassification of the police report concerning the disappearance of a six-year-old girl in the Eco Galleria area of Taman Botani, Iskandar Puteri at around 7.15pm on July 20.
“The investigation is now being conducted under Section 365 of the Penal Code, which pertains to kidnapping or abducting someone with the intent to secretly and wrongfully confine them.
“If convicted, the penalty includes imprisonment for up to seven years and a possible fine,” he said in a statement here on Monday (July 22) night.
He added that two men and one woman, aged between 28 and 55, have been arrested in the Iskandar Puteri and Gelang Patah areas around 1.30pm on Monday to assist with the investigation.
The trio is scheduled to get their remand order at the Johor Baru court on Tuesday (July 23) morning.
The police are urging anyone with information regarding the case to come forward to aid in the ongoing investigation, he said.
“We also would like to remind the public not to speculate in ways that could interfere with the investigation,” he added.
Any information regarding the incident can be reported to the Johor Police Hotline at 019-2792095 or the Operations Room line at 07-2212999.
Albertine was reported missing at around 8.30pm on Saturday (July 21) during the Bon Odori Japanese festival at Eco Galleria here.
The girl, who is about 120cm tall and has long hair, was last seen wearing a white Mickey Mouse T-shirt.
