The post PDRM Finds Missing 6-Year Old Albertine Leo After Nationwide Alert on Social Media appeared first on In Real Life.
Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo the sentiments of In Real Life.
On Saturday (20th July), 6-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui went missing during a Bon Odori festival held at Eco Galleria business centre, Iskandar Puteri in Johor Bahru.
Last seen at around 8.30pm wearing a T-shirt featuring Mickey Mouse, the girl was described as being about 120cm tall, with long black hair, fair skin and a thin build, according to Iskandar Puteri police chief Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan.
Albertine’s mother Leo Qieo Xin, 37, said they had travelled earlier that day from Kluang to Johor Bahru to sell drinks at the Bon Odori festival, and that she had been tending to customers until she noticed her daughter had gone missing. She added that she was traumatised and fraught with worry by her daughter’s disappearance.
Photo via FB/Komuniti Johor Bahru
In response, Malaysians quickly banded together on social media to spread news of the child’s disappearance.
On the first day, Facebook was flooded with posts—shared in English, Malay, and Mandarin—from Malaysians requesting information on her whereabouts. Even businesses and social media personalities like Kiang Jau Sang (江昭上) who is more known for humorous content have put out bounties for her safe return.
One such business was KK Super Mart, which prominently displayed Albertine Leo’s missing person information on all 866 of its stores nationwide.
Photo via Sinar Harian
Another local business, insurance company ALBB Consultancy Sdn Bhd, placed a substantial bounty of RM50,000 on their Facebook page.
Photo via FB/ALBB Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Three days later, following a frantic nationwide search by PDRM, Albertine Leo was found safe in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed her discovery, as reported by the New Straits Times.
At a separate press conference in Johor Bahru, Johor police chief Commissioner M. Kumar said a police team had raided a room at a budget hotel in Batang Kali at around 4.30am in the morning, and confirmed that Albertine had been found there.
A 31-year-old suspect was arrested at the hotel, which was more than 380 km from Johor Bahru where Albertine was last seen.
‘’The suspect had no connection or relationship with the victim and will be brought back to Johor for further investigation. The vehicle used by the suspect to abduct the victim has also been seized,” said Commissioner Kumar.
Four more suspects have been arrested in connection with the abduction of six-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui. Three of the suspects, aged between 28 and 55, were arrested in Iskandar Puteri, Gelang Patah, Johor.
Albertine Leo has since been reunited with her family and taken to the hospital for a medical check-up, with results pending. Her family has called for privacy during this stressful time.
Now that Albertine has been found, the case has been reclassified under Section 365 of the Penal Code for kidnapping or abduction with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person. The case is also being investigated under Section 365 of the Penal Code and Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
Well done, PDRM!
For years, the Malaysian police (PDRM) have struggled with an image of corruption and serving only the interests of the rich and powerful. However, in this particular case, the police spared no expense in searching for the lost girl.
According to Kosmo, PDRM quickly deployed all resources, including their K9 sniffer dog unit, to track down the missing girl, ultimately finding her in Batang Kali and arresting those allegedly responsible.
For their relentless search for Albertine Leo, PDRM truly deserves all the commendation this time. Well done, PDRM!
Photo via Kosmo
On a more broader note, Malaysians’ act of spreading the news on social media allowed it to go viral. Commissioner Kumar had said that the arrests were made based on public information as well as police intelligence.
Albertine’s disappearance and her subsequent rescue has demonstrated that we Malaysians can put aside our differences in race, language, or religion to come together to put the word out, which played a key role in helping the police to find her.
To all Malaysians, if you played a part in Albertine’s safe return, whether by resharing a post on social media or directly tipping the authorities off, thank you for your help!
What do you think of this story?
Submit your opinions to hello@inreallife.my and it may be featured on In Real Life Malaysia.
The post PDRM Finds Missing 6-Year Old Albertine Leo After Nationwide Alert on Social Media appeared first on In Real Life.
