KUALA LUMPUR: Police have launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of a 17-month-old baby girl by her babysitter at a privately-run childcare centre in Bandar Mahkota Cheras last month.
Kajang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaid Hassan said police did not rule out the possibility that the centre was operating without a valid license.
"Preliminary investigations showed that the childcare centre has been in operation for almost three months. However, the police suspect that the centre was operating without a valid license," Mohd Zaid said in a statement today.
He added that police launched an investigation into the case under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 after the father of the toddler lodged a report over the incident at 7.36pm on May 29.
The man, 26, claimed he was informed that his daughter had been treated harshly by a teacher at the centre in Bandar Mahkota Cheras, Kajang.
"On May 25, the man went to the centre to pick up his daughter, where he was told by a teacher at the nursery that the toddler had been treated harshly by another teacher there.
"He was told that his daughter had her hair pulled and her nose pinched while being fed, causing a minor injury to her nose.
"Due to dissatisfaction with the treatment and actions of the teacher, the complainant decided to withdraw his child from the centre," Mohd Zaid said.
He added that checks by the hospital confirmed that the toddler only suffered a 'soft tissue injury'.
The statement, however, did not indicate if the police have made any arrests to facilitate the investigation of the case.
Mohd Zaid also urged the public with any information to contact Inspector Muaz Mazlan, at 017-9788804.
Earlier today, the New Straits Times reported that a woman claimed her baby girl was not only force-fed but also had her hair pulled by a babysitter.
The woman said she only found out that her baby girl had been abused when she received several video recordings and pictures of the alleged incident via WhatsApp from a former employee of the centre on May 28.
The situation is more concerning after the woman, 32, also claimed that she was told that other children sent to the centre had also suffered similar ordeals endured by her daughter.