BATANG KALI: When word got out that 6-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui had gone missing in Johor Baru on Saturday, Fakhrullah Hariz did his part by sharing a post about the girl on social media.
It shocked him to learn that the girl was found at a hotel near where he worked in Jalan Mahagoni 9 here.
"I was driving to work when I saw police outside the hotel," said the 26-year-old who works at a mobile phone accessory shop.
"I was wondering what was going on. So I stayed in my car and watched them."
He said he learnt from a colleague that the missing girl had been found at the hotel.
He said he checked the news to verify that what he heard was true.
"I immediately posted on social media that the girl had been found."
He said he was happy that the girl was found safe.
Bookshop worker Sarah Nadhirah, 26, said she was working at the back of the shop when she noticed police gathering outside the hotel about 9am.
"I moved to Batang Kali from Gombak, thinking that it is a peaceful town. But since 2022, there has been a major landslide and now this."
She wondered why the suspects chose to bring the victim here.
Food stall operator Johari Yasin, 47, said a kindergarten next to the hotel often held educational programmes for the children involving the authorities, so he did not think much when he saw police around.
"They have called the Fire and Rescue Department and other agencies before, so I thought nothing of it.
"I was surprised to find out that the police were here because of the missing girl case."
The hotel management could not be reached for comment at press time.
The main door of the hotel has been locked.