KUALA TERENGGANU: A Bangladeshi cleaner claimed that he had spotted an object which he believed was a body of a baby in a big drain near the state public library here yesterday.

Mohd Kobi Mohd Osman said he spotted a torn red-and-white plastic bag containing the object while cleaning the rubbish trap in the drain about 5pm.

“I pulled it aside to check it out… and I saw a baby’s head in the bag,” he said when met at the scene.

Shocked and in a state of panic, the 19-year-old worker said he released the bag back into the drain and immediately called his friend who then alerted their supervisor and the police.

Mohd Kobi said he also passed out several times due to the stench emanating from the object.

Meanwhile, State Fire and Rescue Department operation commander Azila Wahab said 13 officers and rescuers were rushed to the scene to find the object.

“Besides searching the surface of the drain, our team also went down to the rubbish trap…but the object has yet to be found,” he said.

He said the search operation, which began at 6.30pm, was stopped at 10pm yesterday and was resumed at 7am today.