Saifuddin said he has yet to receive detailed information on the matter, but has instructed the police to prepare a report and respond to public concerns.

“This is a legacy issue. I will request the police to prepare the necessary information to address the matter,” he told a press conference in Putrajaya today, Sinar Harian reported.

On Oct 28, Indira told reporters she was shocked by news reports that Riduan reportedly accessed government aid programmes such as Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) and the BUDI95 initiative for subsidised fuel.

Both schemes are only available to eligible residents in Malaysia.

She said such reports contradicted the authorities’ stance that Riduan was residing in Thailand.

Riduan has been the subject of an arrest warrant for more than 15 years after he fled the country with his daughter, Prasana Diksa, in 2009 when she was just 11 months old. He had converted her to Islam without Indira’s consent.

A landmark Federal Court decision in 2018 declared the unilateral conversion of her three children to Islam by Riduan null and void.

The Federal Court had ordered police to execute a warrant of committal on Riduan for contempt of court over his refusal to return Prasana to Indira, who was given full custody over their three children.

Indira had sued former IGP Abdul Hamid Bador and the government for failing to arrest Riduan and return her daughter. The Court of Appeal reserved its decision on Aug 11.

Prasana would be 17 years old now.