The biological father of a five-year-old boy who died after suspected abuse, and the child’s stepmother, are in remand for seven days to facilitate police investigations.

The remand order, until this Jan 2, was issued by Johor Bahru Lower Court Assistant Registrar Faridatul Farrah Mohd Shukri.

Yesterday, South Johor Bahru deputy police chief Supt Mohd Afzanizam Yahaya, was reported to have said that the police had arrested the victim’s father, aged 33, and the boy’s Indonesian stepmother, aged 23, for investigation.

He said police received a report on the child’s death from Sultan Ismail Hospital at 12.50am last Wednesday after finding bruises on the boy’s body.

The boy was found unconscious and was rushed to the Sultan Ismail Hospital by his parents on Wednesday (Dec 26) at around 12am but the doctors pronounced him dead at the emergency ward.

Bruises were found on the victim's body, face, chest and back.

The post-mortem result revealed that the boy’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen and police are investigating the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code, for murder.

-- Bernama