Missing S'pore schoolgirl, 15, rescued by police in M'sia after 24 hours

UPDATE on Nov. 27 at 9:30pm: The article has been updated with a statement from the Singapore Police Force.

A 15-year-old girl who did not turn up for school in Singapore was rescued by Malaysian police in Kuantan, Malaysia on Nov. 26 within 24 hours of being reported missing.

Did not show up for school

Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar told Malaysian media that on Nov. 26, a 48-year-old Chinese national residing in Johor lodged a missing persons report regarding his daughter, who was schooling in Singapore.

The man told Johor police that his daughter did not show up at her school on Nov. 25 and believed an unknown individual had abducted her, The Star reported.

Police subsequently found that the victim was brought into Malaysia through the Woodlands checkpoint on Nov. 24, Kumar said.

Found in Kuantan by M'sian police

Kumar said that based on intelligence gathered by Johor's Criminal Investigation Division (CID), CID operatives tracked down the victim and her abductor to an undisclosed location in Kuantan, Pahang, The Malay Mail reported.

A team was deployed to conduct a raid and successfully rescued the victim in Kuantan on Nov. 26.

A 22-year-old man, also a Chinese national, was arrested at the same location.

M'sian police investigating motive for abduction

Kumar noted that items, including mobile phones, clothes and other equipment used in the case, were seized for investigations.

The victim would be brought to a hospital for a medical checkup, Kumar added.

The suspect is in police custody and has been remanded for seven days.

Police are still investigating the motive behind the case, Kumar said.

SPF statement

In response to Mothership's enquiries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that on Nov. 25 at about 2:15pm, they received a missing person report of a 15-year-old girl.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the girl had voluntarily left Singapore unaccompanied, before the report was lodged, police said.

SPF added that the case is being investigated by the Malaysian authorities.

Top image from Canva