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POLICE in Lahad Datu have detained a woman suspected of abandoning her newborn baby boy in Kampung Burung, Jalan Bakawali, last Friday.
Lahad Datu District Police Chief ACP Dzulbaharin Ismail confirmed the arrest, stating that the 30-year-old woman was taken into custody at the Lahad Datu District Police Headquarters yesterday after voluntarily presenting herself to give a statement.
“Initial investigations revealed that the woman gave birth at home and, in a state of panic, placed the baby outside the house shortly after delivery,” he said when contacted earlier today.
The case is being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code for child abandonment, which carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Last Friday, local media reported that a baby boy was found wrapped in cloth outside a house in the village at approximately 3.06 a.m. by a member of the public.
The infant was taken to Lahad Datu Hospital for further treatment but was pronounced dead at 7.02 p.m. the same day, with the cause of death identified as complications from premature birth. - July 21, 2025
