Petaling Jaya district police chief ACP Mohd Zani Che Din said based on preliminary investigations, it is believed that the child died due to abuse sustained at the home of her nanny.
He said the nanny’s husband, aged 20, was arrested last night. Police also arrested the child’s mother and her husband, both also 20, to assist in investigations.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
Zani said the toddler’s mother, who works as a cashier, had sent the child to the nanny’s house at Impian Baiduri flats in Section 51A, Petaling Jaya, about 1pm yesterday.
The child was reported to be in a healthy and cheerful condition at that time.
“About 2pm, the nanny sent a message through WhatsApp saying the child was not well and that she was vomiting and physically weak.”
The mother eventually came to take her daughter from the nanny at 4pm but by then she was already in an unconscious state. She was taken to the University Malaya Medical Centre.
However, the girl was confirmed to have died at 5.40pm.
“Preliminary investigations, based on examinations, found the victim’s body had bruises all over and her private parts were injured, as though torn,” Zani said.
As investigations continue, the cause of death has been listed as blunt trauma to the abdomen, he added.