Police have assured that they will conduct a transparent investigation into the case involving a 15-month toddler who drowned after a three-wheeled motorcycle fell into an irrigation canal in Kampung Tok Belian, Pengkalan Petah in Bachok, on Friday.

Bachok district police chief Supt Mohamad Ismail Jamaluddin said the investigation would involve various aspects, including probing the child’s parents and arresting them if there are signs of neglect.

‘Parents, guardians or caregivers can face legal action if found guilty of such offences under the Child Act 2001,’ he told Bernama today.

Mohamad Ismail said that they have also recorded the statement of the 12-year-old boy who rode the motorcycle, adding that the case is classified under Section 31(1)(a) of the Act for ill-treatment, neglect, abandonment, or exposure of children.

‘Police hope that villagers, especially parents always supervise their children and do not allow them to drive vehicles on the road,’ he said.

Five other children were also on the m
otorcycle, which is believed to have lost control before falling into the irrigation canal.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency