‘It was heartbreaking to see him chained’
KUANTAN: A housewife broke down in tears at the sight of a boy struggling to lift a gas cylinder chained to his neck at his house in Indera Mahkota here on Thursday.
The woman, identified only as Salmah, 58, said she heard the clinking sound of a metal chain on Wednesday night but only assumed that someone was playing. However, when she heard the same sound again on Thursday morning, Salmah said she decided to check on it.
She said she peeped through a hole and was shocked to see her neighbour’s son on the floor with a chain around his neck.
“It was a pitiful sight when the victim tried to lift the cylinder between his legs. Maybe he was trying to find the key to free himself. An hour earlier, I had heard someone cooking in the kitchen and I am sure that the person would have seen the boy,” she said yesterday.
Fearing for the boy’s safety, Salmah said she alerted her neighbours, who lodged a police report.
“We saw him lying unconscious on the floor. We were unsure if the boy had fainted or if he was experiencing difficulties as there was no one in the house.”
In the incident, the 10-year-old boy was found chained to a gas cylinder, allegedly by his stepfather, at 10am on Thursday.
The Year Four pupil, who is the third of five siblings, allegedly refused to attend school, thus, causing his stepfather to get angry.
A police team was forced to break down the gates to rescue the boy, who was only clad in shorts. He had bruises on his neck.
A neighbour identified as Siti said the victim and his family moved to the neighbourhood less than two months ago.
“The parents seldom talk to neighbours and we always heard them scolding their children..
“The victim always plays in the back alley and is pleasant. I never expected him to endure such pain and suffering.”
Checks with the victim’s siblings revealed that their step-father was short-tempered.
They said they were not surprised as they were often punished when they made mistakes.
State police chief Datuk Rosli Ab Rahman said the 32-year-old man and his 37-year-old wife had been remanded for a week.
“Investigations revealed that the victim was chained for two hours and was at home with his younger sister.
“His mother was at her stall, while his other siblings, aged between 6 and 13, were at school.”
He said the victim was warded at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here and was reported to be in a stable condition.
The victim’s siblings have been put under their relatives’ care.