Case of missing girl sparks alarm among Malaysian parents

KUALA LUMPUR – Ten-year-old Hud now knows that if his mother is unable to pick him up from school, and she sends a relative or friend to do so, this person must be able to divulge the “safe word” that the family has agreed upon.

If not, he must not follow them, said Penang housewife Aini Syahirah Anuar, who has always been cautious about the safety of her three young sons, and even more so now.

The alleged abduction of a six-year-old girl on July 20, which sparked a three-day-long search and elicited much public concern, struck a chord of alarm with Ms Aini, 38, as it did with many parents.

“After (the girl’s) disappearance, I was more cautious than usual when I took Hud and the boys out to buy some shoes. I would usually spend more time with them shopping, but that day, I only spent an hour at the mall.

“My children asked me why I was so agitated instead of being my usual relaxed self,” she told The Straits Times.

The little girl went missing on July 20 during a Bon Odori event at a mall in Iskandar Puteri, in southern Johor state, where her parents were manning a stall. Her disappearance hogged Malaysia’s headlines, with tip-offs and sightings pouring in, and several unrelated parties even offering cash rewards for her safe return.

She was found with no visible injuries on July 23 at a budget hotel in Batang Kali, Selangor, some 370km away from where she was last seen.

Five suspects were arrested by the police. Of these, four have been released on bail. The motive behind the alleged abduction is still under investigation.

Shortly after the girl was found, Royal Malaysian Police Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain told the press on July 25 that while the number of missing person cases is on the rise, it is not at a level that was a cause for concern. He did not provide specific figures.

On average, two children below the age of 18 go missing daily in Malaysia, according to local media reports.

In February 2024, Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division chief assistant director Siti Kamsiah Hassan told English daily The Sun that between 2021 and 2023, the police solved 95.56 per cent of the 2,275 cases of missing children. Despite their best efforts, around 4 per cent remain missing.

“We suspect some of the unresolved cases may have been involved in incidents like drowning in rivers or becoming lost in the jungle,” said Assistant Commissioner Siti.

Some of the missing children who return home are repeat runaways, and this points to something more worrying, former police officer and crime analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim told ST.

“There must be a reason why these kids keep running away. There must be something wrong at home, but I don’t think it’s domestic or sexual abuse, otherwise the children won’t return at all,” said Mr Kamal, adding that access to counselling or therapy for these children and their family members might help resolve some of the underlying issues.

As for the 4 per cent or so children who have remained missing over the past few years, human trafficking non-governmental organisation Suka Society’s executive director Anderson Selvasegaram told ST he did not discount the possibility that some older teenagers could have been duped by scams and lured out of the country to work as labourers or scammers, or been sexually trafficked.

“For example, youths may not have the knowledge or maturity to decipher job scams and what seems to be a good salary. They were deceived and ended up in other countries in the region as exploited labour,” said Mr Anderson.

While the percentage of children who remain missing is low, Ms Aini is not taking any chances.

Last week, she was late picking Hud up and learnt that strangers had approached him outside the school compound, saying that his mother had asked them to take him home.

Fortunately, the boy quickly ran back into the school and told his teachers. He later came up with the idea of having a code word for safety, known only to close and trusted family members, said Ms Aini.

Another parent recounted how he had the fright of his life two years ago, when his then 15-year-old son ran away from home after a heated argument.

“When I found out, I almost had a heart attack,” said the civil servant, who wanted to be known only as Steven.

Fortunately, the teenager ended up at the home of one of his tuition teachers. That teacher convinced the boy to contact his family and tell them where he was that same night.

“He came home a few days later after he had his space. Before he ran away, I did hit him for misbehaving and I think it hurt him deeply,” said the father of two, who said he has since learnt to communicate better with his son.

Recalling the terror he and his wife felt when they learnt their child had gone missing, Steven said he could not imagine the ordeal the family of the missing six-year-old girl had gone through before she was found.

“I did not know my son’s whereabouts for only a few hours. I am glad they found her safe and sound,” he said.