Child drowns in swimming pool, stepbrother arrested

KAJANG - A man has been arrested in connection with the case of a four-year-old girl who drowned in a swimming pool at an apartment in Bangi on Sept 13.

Kajang District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaid Hassan added that the 26-year-old suspect, who is the victim's stepbrother, was arrested on Sunday after an investigation conducted through access to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the scene.

"The investigation based on the CCTV footage found that at the time of the incident, the suspect, who is the victim's stepbrother, was also present at the scene.

"The suspect appeared to be preoccupied with something and just watched the victim drowning without taking any action to rescue her," he said in a statement on Monday.

He added that they had received a report related to the incident from medical personnel at Hospital Serdang, who received the victim in an unconscious state on the day of the incident.

The investigation found that at around 3 pm, the victim was believed to have drowned while bathing in the apartment before being taken to a clinic and subsequently to Hospital Serdang for further treatment.

"However, the victim was confirmed dead at around 1pm on Sept 14 after receiving treatment, and the case was initially classified as sudden death (SDR)," he said.

He added that the 26-year-old suspect was detained by a team of police officers from the D7 Branch of the Kajang District Police Headquarters for further investigation into the incident.

"The case is being investigated and classified under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001.

"Members of the public who have information can contact the nearest police station or contact Investigating Officer Inspector Muhammad Azrul Nizam Zainal Abidin at 016-9985730 to assist in the investigation," he said.