JOHOR BARU: A clip of an 11-year-old boy wandering alone without the supervision of any adults has triggered concern among social media users over the safety of the child.
The clip of the boy exploring the streets alone was taken by a 43-year-old man, who later shared the video on WhatsApp groups with claims that he might be an abuse victim.
Johor Baru (south) police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat denied such claims and said the boy was wandering alone by himself out of boredom.
“There are no physical signs of abuse (found on the boy). The police spent some time with the boy to put him at ease before we conducted an interview,” he said.
It is learned that a passer-by noticed the boy looking lost at Jalan Susur 6 near Larkin at 9.22am and brought him to the Larkin police station.
Raub said the boy had wandered alone about a kilometre away from his house without his parents’ knowledge.
“It has been established that he was bored and decided to explore the streets on his own.
It is believed that the boy, who is vernacular school pupil, decided went out alone when his mother, who had just given birth to her third child about 11 days ago, is in confinement.
The boy’s father is working in Singapore.
Raub also said while police appreciate the members of public’s concerns, he advised them not to jump into conclusions and upload as well as shared unverified information on social media.
The boy was returned to his parents after their documentation, including his birth certificate, was verified.
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