Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Tan Cheng San said the four men and five women, aged between 16 and 48, were arrested separately yesterday.

He said police received information at 7pm on Saturday from Seberang Jaya Hospital regarding the death of the baby boy.

“A man in his 30s had brought the boy to the hospital claiming he had fainted and needed treatment. The man left the boy at the hospital,” Tan said.

He said police believed the boy’s mother is a 16-year-old school dropout who is working as an assistant at a food stall.

She left her child with her 34-year-old boyfriend, who is unemployed, while she went to work. “We have also arrested another female friend of the mother, aged 16, and the child’s grandmother, to help with the investigation,” Tan said.

Police found the grandmother was aware that her daughter’s boyfriend cared for the boy while the mother was at work.