AUTISTIC GIRL’S SILENT ABUSE ORDEAL

Couple betray family’s trust by abusing victim, 2, after offering to send her for therapy at Karak preschool

SINCE his 2-year-old daughter had communication problems, B. Navarajan thought a change of environment might help her, especially when a family friend promised to look after the girl like their own child.

Little did the 29-year-old father realise that he was handing the child with suspected autism to “monsters” who allegedly abused the girl, leaving her with bruises and wounds, including burn marks on the face, hands and body.

To make matters worse, the operations manager from Tampoi, Johor, only realised the nightmare that his daughter, the eldest of two, had endured when he went to fetch her from the suspects’ home in Karak here on Oct 11.

Navarajan said he never expected the family friend, who has two children of his own, to inflict such cruelty, especially after promising to take care of the girl and to send her to a preschool that offered speech therapy in Karak.

Penang-born Navarajan said the incident unfolded in late August when the couple, who were his wife’s friends, stayed at their house in Tampoi, Johor, and became close with his daughter.

“The woman told us that we must allow our daughter to mingle with other children and offered to take care of her.

“She claimed the preschool attended by her sons could treat my daughter.

“We were reluctant to be separated from our daughter, but decided to give it a try.

“We sent her with a heavy heart, hoping to see some improvements.

“Furthermore, the couple have two sons, so we thought she could make new friends and begin to talk,” he said.

Navarajan said after the couple returned to Karak with his daughter, his family would hold conversations with her daily through video calls.

He added that initially she appeared normal during the conversations.

However, early this month, Navarajan said he realised that his daughter started to avoid his video calls and sometimes the woman would hold his daughter tightly throughout the sessions. On Oct 11, he said his family went to fetch their daughter as they were going for a trip to Batu Caves, Selangor, on the same day.

“Two days before our trip, the woman called up and claimed that my daughter threw a handphone into a toilet bowl and later suffered bruises on the leg after falling down from a sofa. I was shocked as my daughter does not know how to use the toilet.

“When I fetched her at 4.30am on Oct 11, my daughter appeared emaciated.

“There was a scar on her face which the couple claimed to be the result of her falling while playing at a playground. They had informed us about the fall but we never expected it to be severe,” he said, adding the family then left for Batu Caves.

“Upon reaching the Batu Caves temple complex, as we were getting ready for prayers, my wife realised that my daughter’s body was full of scars and bruises, including near her private parts.”

Shocked by the discovery, Navarajan’s family members were disconsolate and cancelled the prayer session.

They lodged a report at the Bentong police station before taking their daughter to a hospital.

“An ambulance took my daughter to the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital in Temerloh where doctors confirmed there were new and old injuries on her body probably caused by caning or other objects. There were also burn marks.

“She lost 5kg and now weighs just 15kg. My daughter is traumatised. Whenever we talk to her, she will put her hands down and stare at the floor.

“Even when we call her name, she will suddenly cry.

“My family is sad and angry over this, as someone we trusted had mistreated a child who could not talk,” he said, adding his daughter was discharged on Sunday.

Navarajan, who has a 4-month-old son, blamed himself for not getting proper details about the couple’s background before allowing his daughter to follow them.

“Since she is suspected of being autistic, the preschool in my area did not accept her as she has to learn some basic communication skills.

“We sent her to the couple hoping to cure her condition, but instead it has worsened. My aim is to help my daughter recover,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bentong police chief Superintendent Yusuf Unis confirmed a report was lodged on the incident.