BATU PAHAT: A trader was left trembling after discovering that a box found on the shelf of her food stall contained a baby.
The healthy baby was found at the stall owned by Salzura Abd Rahman, 42, in the industrial area of Taman Kota, Yong Peng, at 5am yesterday.
"I initially thought someone had abandoned a kitten," she said.
"But when I peeked inside the box, I started to tremble because there was a baby in it."
Salzura said that she and her 17-year-old son, Danis Syahputra Mohamad Saipol, had just arrived at the stall to start their day when the incident occurred.
"As soon as I entered through the back door, I saw a box placed on the shelf where I keep my food items," she said.
"I thought it was another kitten being abandoned, as this spot is often used for that purpose."
She tried to lift the box but found it unusually heavy.
"I thought to myself, how many kittens are people abandoning? When I opened the box, I saw tiny legs sticking up."
Shaken, Salzura called her son over to see the baby.
She said that the baby was wrapped in a batik cloth and lying on a towel inside the box, but it was not crying.
"What puzzled me was that the baby didn't cry at all. There was no note or bottle, and the umbilical cord had already been cut."
Salzura immediately contacted the police to report the discovery, and by 6pm, a team of officers arrived at her stall.
An ambulance also arrived to transport the baby to Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital (HSNI) for further examination.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani confirmed the discovery of the baby.
Meanwhile, Yong Peng state assemblyman and Johor Health and Environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon condemned the inhumane actions of the person responsible, questioning their cruelty and lack of consideration for the baby's well-being.
"Giving birth and raising a child is the responsibility of the parents, but who could be so cruel and heartless, or are they facing such great difficulties that they chose to abandon the baby?" he said.