BATU PAHAT: A stall owner here was taken by surprise when she discovered a baby girl in a box left outside her stall in Yong Peng here.
In a Facebook post, Yong Peng assemblyman Ling Tian Soon said the woman found the baby when she was opening her stall at about 5am on Monday (Dec 16).
“She found the box on a rack at her stall, located in the Taman Kota industrial area.
“Initially, she thought someone had abandoned a kitten. However, when she opened it, she was shocked to discover a baby girl inside the box,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 17).
Ling said the woman had lodged a police report and that the baby girl had been sent to the Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat for a check-up.
Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani confirmed that the police had received a report and is being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code for child abandonment.
“The baby was found in good health with no physical injuries. She is believed to be a newborn with an attached umbilical cord.
“She was found wrapped in a batik cloth and abandoned inside the box,” he said, adding that no note or identification documents were found.
He urged those with information about the incident to contact Investigating Officer Insp Nurul Aqila Che Ali at 011-55882109 or any nearby police station.
The public may also contact the Johor police hotline at 07-2212999 or the Batu Pahat district police hotline at 07-4343999.