An 18-year-old boy, believed to be the father of a newborn baby girl who was thrown by her mother from a fourth-floor flat unit in Bayan Baru two days ago, was detained last night to assist the investigation.
Barat Daya district police chief Supt A A Anbalagan said the youth was arrested after he surrendered at the Bayan Baru police station, at 8.40 pm last night.
“During initial investigations, the boy who works as a shop assistant, admits that he knows the girl. Originally from Kampung Padang Bekuai, Pengkalan Hulu in Perak, he is now living in Bayan Lepas,” he said today.
He said the boy, tested negative for drugs and with no previous criminal record, was remanded for further investigation under Section 317 of the Penal Code for child abandonment.
He had completed his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) last year.
It was reported that the newborn was thrown from the fourth floor of the flat by her 18-year-old mother, hours after giving birth, in a state of panic.
Miraculously, the newborn survived the fall and landed on the roof of a unit below.
The woman had told police that her parents were in Kelantan and her two siblings who were staying with her did not know about her pregnancy.
The baby, who sustained a cracked skull as well as brain and liver injuries, is in stable condition at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Penang Hospital.