ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – Johor police plan to request a court to extend the remand period for a suspect involved in the alleged abduction of a six-year-old girl in the southern Malaysian state.
On July 29, Johor police chief M Kumar announced that the police would seek to prolong the detention of the Malaysian male suspect from July 30 to August 5.
The existing remand period concludes on July 29.
The police chief said the move is to enable the authorities to continue with their probe.
“The public is advised not to make any speculations that could affect the investigation,” he said in a statement.
The girl was reported lost by her parents on July 20 in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, after her mother lost sight of her while manning a stall at the Bon Odori Festival in Eco Galleria.
Her disappearance hogged Malaysia’s headlines and sparked a three-day search, 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 and four of them have been released on bail. The motive behind the alleged abduction is still under investigation.
