All smiles: Yap carrying Angie who now sports close cropped hair. Her shoulder-length hair was cut as she did not like her hair being washed.
JOHOR BARU: The girl who was allegedly “sold” to a Singaporean couple by her drug addict father is now under the Johor Welfare Department’s care.
“Angie Tiong is temporarily placed at Rumah Perlindungan Kanak-Kanak Johor Baru while we try to get a temporary custody order from the court to determine which family is eligible to look after her,” said state Welfare Department officer Manayi Ibrahim.
He described Angie, who is two years and nine months old, as a well-behaved child with a healthy appetite who was not afraid of strangers.
Police, he said, had handed her over to the department yesterday after a medical check-up at a hospital here.
“Under Section 48 of the Child Act, no one is allowed to meet her including her biological parents and family members during the one-month period of investigation,” he told The Star yesterday.
Manayi said if no family members of the girl were deemed eligible for custody, the department would be given full guardianship.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said Angie was handed over at the Johor police headquarters by a representative of the couple holding Singapore permanent resident status on Sunday.
He said the man and the woman, who operate a business, did not have any children of their own.
“We will call them in for questioning soon as part of the investigations,” he said.
“Angie’s father, who was remanded on Dec 10, was released on Dec 30 but we will still keep an eye on him to assist with the probe,” he told reporters.
Previous reports indicated that a couple, in their 50s, adopted the child through a Malaysian agent.
Angie’s plight came under media spotlight when her 33-year-old father lodged a police report on Dec 10, saying that his girl had been kidnapped.
The father had then claimed that his daughter was kidnapped by a friend who took the girl on Nov 11.
The father who was allegedly a drug addict was later believed to have “sold” her to the couple for RM12,000 through a middleman.
Sin Chew Daily, in a report, quoted Johor Temple Foundation adviser Yap Yeen Min, who acted as the mediator between the couple and Angie’s family, that the couple were under huge pressure after being accused of paying money for her.
Yap said that the couple wanted to officially adopt her and had been working on the process.
“When they knew of the truth, they felt so bad for taking Angie away that they almost broke down.”
Yap said he would arrange for the couple to meet with Angie’s relatives here soon to clear the misunderstanding.
The girl’s uncle, who claimed that he and his wife have been taking care of Angie since she was five-months-old, said he would apply to adopt the girl.
Yap said Angie had been staying with the couple’s relatives in Malaysia the past few weeks.
Angie’s plight came under media spotlight when her 33-year-old father lodged a police report on Dec 10, saying that his girl had been kidnapped.
The father had then claimed that his daughter was kidnapped by a friend who took the girl on Nov 11.
The father who was allegedly a drug addict was later believed to have “sold” her to the couple for RM12,000 through a middleman.
Sin Chew Daily, in a report, quoted Johor Temple Foundation adviser Yap Yeen Min, who acted as the mediator between the couple and Angie’s family, that the couple were under huge pressure after being accused of paying money for her.
Yap said that the couple wanted to officially adopt her and had been working on the process.
“When they knew of the truth, they felt so bad for taking Angie away that they almost broke down.”
Yap said he would arrange for the couple to meet with Angie’s relatives here soon to clear the misunderstanding.
The girl’s uncle, who claimed that he and his wife have been taking care of Angie since she was five-months-old, said he would apply to adopt the girl.
Yap said Angie had been staying with the couple’s relatives in Malaysia the past few weeks.
