What appeared to be a case of petty theft turned out to be something way more sinister after a young boy was caught stealing groceries from a wholesale supermarket in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan.
This comes after police discovered that the boy was an unwilling participant in the theft and was allegedly coerced by his father who had a lengthy criminal record.
Caught stealing instant coffee
Jempol District Police Chief Superintendent Norhisham Mustapar told China Press that the incident took place at around 11.45am yesterday (Jan 14).
The 10-year-old boy had attempted to steal a 200g packet of instant coffee from the supermarket but it was eventually foiled and a police report was lodged at the Bahau Police Station.
A male suspect, who was the boy’s father, was eventually arrested following the police report.
Threatened with harm by dad
Norhisham said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect often instructed and forced his eldest son forced his eldest son to steal daily necessities from several shops around Bahau and Batu Kikir.
If he refused, the suspect would then berate and threaten to physically harm him, causing the boy to live in constant fear.
“A check into the suspect’s background revealed he has seven prior criminal and drug-related records, including an offence under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for child abuse.
“He has also been on police’s wanted list since 2021,” he added.
An investigation was launched under Section 380 of the Penal Code for theft, Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetment, and Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.
As for the boy, he was handed over to his mother’s care.
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