The firefighters arrived at the scene in Taman Nusa Intan after receiving a complaint at 8.51pm last night.

They had to cut open the locks after failing in their attempts to persuade the man to unlock the door, said Senawang fire station operations officer Zainurin Sarip.

Malay daily Kosmo reported that the fire department had received a report of a man locking the fence, grill and back door of his house. It also said the man was under pressure because he was unemployed during the movement control order (MCO) period.

“Initially, we tried to persuade the man (to unlock the door) but after about 15 minutes, we began cutting the locks as the man said he did not know where the keys were,” Zainurin said.

The woman and her two children, the youngest at four months and the other just over a year old, did not suffer any injuries, but it is understood they had not eaten since morning, according to Kosmo.

The man is now in police custody, Zainurin said.

The daily also reported that the woman had previously complained to her neighbour that her husband was under severe stress.

Economists have warned that the ongoing economic despair from movement restrictions may cause companies to scale down and cut jobs. Psychologists had also predicted the rise in mental health issues due to economic uncertainties and job loss.