JOHOR BARU: Even after Albertine Leo Jia Hui was found – thanks to the hard work of the police – calls continue to flood a company that had offered RM50,000 for public information leading to the girl’s rescue.
But instead of providing information, these callers are claiming credit for the six-year-old’s rescue and want a chunk of the reward, said Lim Chun Jin, who manned the tip-off line.
“Some of the callers told me that they had prayed for the girl’s safety. As such, they wanted to claim the reward as they had contributed to her being found,” said Lim, who is the company’s manager.
“I explained to them that it does not work that way. I hope the public can stop calling me now that the girl is safely back with her family,” he told The Star.
The company is not giving out the reward since it was the police who had tracked down and rescued the girl, who was taken from Johor Baru to a budget hotel in Selangor.
But even though she was rescued on Tuesday, Lim continues to receive calls on the tip-off line late into the night.
The idea for the reward was sparked from discussions with kind-hearted business partners who wanted to help find the girl as quickly as possible.
So it was decided that the company would post the RM50,000 reward on its social media page on Monday, while Lim would screen all calls.
From that point on, his mobile phone would ring non-stop with calls that ranged from the compassionate to the bizarre.
“The handsome reward attracted tonnes of calls. Before the girl was found, a caller claimed to have sensitive information relating to the girl’s disappearance and she wanted to meet me face-to-face.
“Many callers also asked for the girl and her parents’ full names as they wanted to use the information to seek answers from a higher power.
“I told them that I was not at liberty to provide them such information and declined their requests,” he said.
One caller claimed to have received a celestial answer following a prayer ritual and claimed that the girl was in a hotel in Senai, Kulai.
“I also received a call from someone who claimed to have seen Albertine at a roadside durian stall in Perak. He also claimed that the girl was in a ‘dizzy state’.
“I urged the caller to lodge a police report immediately if it was true, but he came up with excuses and ended the call,” Lim said.
On the other hand, there were also people who wanted to chip in more funds to raise the reward.
“This shows that Malaysia is a loving nation”.
Apart from the company, a restaurant in Taman Stulang here and a local influencer had each put out a reward of RM10,000 for information leading to the girl’s rescue.
Albertine was reported missing during a Bon Odori event at Eco Galleria, Iskandar Puteri last Saturday (July 20).
Her 37-year-old mother had sold drinks at one of the festival’s booths.
Albertine was found at a budget hotel in Batang Kali, Selangor, some 370km away from where she was last seen.
Five suspects were arrested on Monday and Tuesday, including a 31-year-old man who was found in the same hotel room as the girl.
