Melaka police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said the baby was brought to Melaka Hospital unconscious by his 22-year-old mother, who claimed he had suffered a seizure.

“Medical staff found signs of both recent and older injuries and alerted the police,” he said in a statement.

The mother was detained at the hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit on Tuesday evening. Police also arrested the baby’s father, who is 22 as well, as he is believed to have been involved in the abuse.

Dzulkhairi said both parents are unemployed and reside in Semenyih, Selangor. Preliminary urine tests came back negative for drugs.

Police will seek a remand order at the Alor Gajah magistrates’ court today.

The case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which covers child abuse and neglect. A conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a RM50,000 fine, or both.