| Abdul Hakiim Yakof |
POLICE personnel were called to Kampong Sungai Besar in Kota Batu yesterday morning, after receiving a report of a dead infant found washed up under a bridge.
An investigation was carried out by the Women and Child Abuse Investigations Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department, and the infant’s body was brought to the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, where it was pronounced dead.
After conducting investigations, the police succeeded in identifying the infant’s mother, and she was brought to the hospital for a medical examination.
A post-mortem was immediately carried out, to determine the cause of death.
The case has also been forwarded to the Community Development Department (JAPEM) for further investigation.
Photo shows police tape still tied to one of the pillars of the house where the newborn was found. – ABDUL HAKIIM YAKOF
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the elderly resident who placed the 993 call to the police said that she made the discovery while watering the plants in front of her house, at around 7am.
“The tide was low and I was tending to my flowers, when a child-like figure on the sandbank of our neighbour’s house caught my eye,” she told the Bulletin. “I thought it was a doll at first, as my eyesight is rather poor. Then I called my daughter and our neighbour, and they confirmed that it was indeed a dead baby.
“The child was fair-skinned, plump and had thick hair. Its umbilical cord was still attached, and it was lying on its side. We then alerted the police, and they took care of the body. This is the first time such a thing has happened in our village. What happened to that child is so tragic. If it was still alive, I would have taken it in.”
Meanwhile, the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) has issued a reminder, warning the public to refrain from circulating photos of the dead infant on social media.
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