Baby girl with umbilical cord intact found

BALIK PULAU: A baby girl, with her umbilical cord still intact, was found in front of a house in Kampung Masjid, Teluk Kumbar early yesterday.

Barat Daya District Police acting chief Deputy Superintendent Siti Norsalawati said the baby, wrapped in a brown warm clothing, was found by a resident after he heard the baby crying outside his home.

“The man said he heard the cries at about 3am before he went to check.

“As soon as he opened the door, he saw the baby on the floor right at the entrance with the umbilical cord remaining intact,” he said yesterday.

Siti Norsalawati said the man immediately informed his neighbours to seek help in taking care of the baby before he lodged a police report.

She said initial checks found that the baby was in good health and the police took the baby to Penang Hospital for further checks.

The police are yet to ascertain who the mother is and who had placed the baby at the house.

“We are still on the lookout for the mother,” Siti Norsalawati said, adding that there was no closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera nearby as it was in a village (kampung) area.

She also said the case was being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code.

She urged members of the public with information about the case to contact any police station to facilitate investigation.

Meanwhile, the man who found the baby, Masrol Mohamed Yusoff, 33, said he was fast asleep before he was awakened by the sound of a baby crying.

“The cries were getting louder after 15 minutes. I woke up and initially checked the inside area of my house before I glanced outside through the window.

“Subsequently, I opened the door and found the baby on the floor. I was so shocked and immediately held and hugged the baby, thinking that she might be cold. The baby was wrapped in a brown warm clothing,” he said.

The man, an employee of a private company, said he sought help from his neighbours to feed the baby with milk and gave proper clothing.

He said that was the first time such an incident happened to him since he moved there 20 years ago. He also hoped the person who was responsible for leaving the baby would be found soon. - Bernama