Girl in M'sia, 9, kidnapped after mum steps out of car to ask for directions

A nine-year-old girl in Malaysia was kidnapped after her mother briefly stepped out of the car to ask for directions.

According to Sin Chew Daily, the incident occurred around 6:40pm on Oct. 21 in Penang, Malaysia.

The girl's sister later recounted the ordeal in a social media post.

Girl reportedly kept screaming and crying

According to Sin Chew Daily, the mother, who was unfamiliar with the route back to Penang Island, had stopped the car and stepped out to ask for directions.

However, a man suddenly entered the car and sped off with the girl still inside.

The girl's sister wrote in her post that the girl kept screaming and crying as the man drove away, prompting him to eventually stop the car and abandon her by the roadside.

He reportedly stopped the car and let her get out near a housing estate in Kampung Jawa.

The girl subsequently borrowed a security guard's phone to call her father and asked him to pick her up.

Though the girl was left unharmed, her family fears that she may be left traumatised by the incident.

The sister said she wasn't sure if the man intended to steal the car or wanted to abduct the girl, but either way it appeared that the noise the girl made led the man to let her get out of the car.

Suspect arrested the next morning

Police later discovered the stolen car about 20km away in Simpang Ampat in the morning of Oct. 22.

The car had reportedly run out of fuel.

Officers at the scene arrested a man in his 50s who arrived carrying two 500ml petrol containers, allegedly intending to refuel the car.

When questioned, the man claimed that a female friend had asked him to buy petrol and showed the officers the car keys.

However, the man was unable to produce his identification card when requested and was subsequently taken to the police station for further investigation.

According to a nearby resident, she had noticed the car parked on the street in front of her house at around 1am that morning.

Initially suspecting that someone was stealing mangoes, she observed the car closely but did not see anyone inside.

Police investigations into the case are ongoing.

Top photos via Sin Chew Daily, Wikimedia Commons.