It has been three weeks since five-year-old Sharlinie's gone missing and there are still no new leads as to her whereabouts.
There's not much news on her in the papers either. Even the police admit they aren't getting much information from the public and the lack of information is affecting their investigation although the operation to find her is still going on. Thank God for that!
While I am praying and hoping that Sharlinie, who turned five yesterday, is being kept safe somewhere, I came across this news while reading the Sun online. The news is worrying.
The headline says There was an attempt to abduct a five-year-old girl in Pusat Bandar Puchong.
There's not much news on her in the papers either. Even the police admit they aren't getting much information from the public and the lack of information is affecting their investigation although the operation to find her is still going on. Thank God for that!
While I am praying and hoping that Sharlinie, who turned five yesterday, is being kept safe somewhere, I came across this news while reading the Sun online. The news is worrying.
The headline says There was an attempt to abduct a five-year-old girl in Pusat Bandar Puchong.
The incident happened last week.
The story is very familiar. Two siblings (12 and 5 years) were playing with each other (outside a restaurant while their parents were having dinner) when a black coloured van pulled up and a man emerged and lured the younger one with a sweet.
When the girl took the sweet, the man tried to bundle her into the van.
The man tried to push the elder sister into the van too when she tried to pull her sister away. But he got back into his van and sped away when two women passers-by went to check the commotion.
The elder sister related the incident only after they reached home to the parents who subsequently lodged a police report. But I find it strange that the report was not covered by the media.
As for the two passers-by, I think they could have done better. They could have taken down the plate number of the van and bring the children to their parents and relate the incident to them instead of just walking away. Don’t they read the papers, listen to the radio or watch news on TV?
I think there is an urgent need to educate members of the public on what they should do in such a situation. Be a little kay poh. They have to act fast...scream and shout for help.
The incident could shed some light and give fresh leads to the ongoing investigation on Nini and maybe, just maybe, the man is connected to cases of missing children. (read tembam's entry here )
What are we looking at here: a man trying to abduct a five-year old girl into a van. The same way Nurin and Nini were seen being taken away. The story is too familiar to be ignored.
Another thing; the girls told their mother there was a little boy crying on the floor of the van. I hope police will follow up this report.
In the meantime, let's not give up on Nini. Let's continue to pray for her.
Read "Attempted AbductionsWhat Parents & Guardians Need to Know": here
25 comments:
Dear Kak Ton,
The indifference of these two passers-by is breathtaking. I would have thought that taking down the plate number should be an instinctive reaction under such circumstances.
If they had been more kay poh, they could have given the police the much-needed lead to crank up the search for Sharlinie.
I hope and pray that there was no terrified boy crying on the floor of that van.
Hi Kak Ton ... I totally agree with you on the need to educate the public re safety and awareness in the face of crime. A nationwide joint campaign where those who hold the portfolio be it ministry, authorities, associations, etc. work with the media. The mentality that it cannot happen to our kids until it is too late must be dropped.
If the facts of the Puchong incident is all true and the abductors are indeed the same ones who took Sharlinie, they are certainly getting more aggressive. 2 kids in their hands within 3 weeks (if the boy is a victim) and attempting a 3rd just indicates that they do not fear the police.
The police and media need to pick up their pace. Here in the US, an amber alert or any missing person case for the matter often remains a headline until it is solved. It not only helps extend the search but the publicity makes the criminals edgy resulting in them making mistakes.
I don't know how much coverage is till given to Sharlinie but don't see much on web news.
I hope for a miracle to happen soon.
Tok Mommy,
I agree with sesat. It should be a natural reaction to jot down the plate number. That's the first thing I would have done.
Also agree with you and Rita about the need to educate the public on safetyand public awareness in the face of crime.
Indeed we should not give up on Nini. We'll continue t pray for and like Rita says, hope for a miracle.
I think these sickos are getting bolder. Just imagine trying to abduct children in public and fully aware that there are people around. Its not as though these two kids were in some isolated area or walking in a dark alley.
They arent scared of being caught because Nurin's killers are still roaming around and Sharlinie is still missing.
My heart goes to Nini's parents. As a mother I know the pain she's going through.
I pray that God will give her the strength to go through this ordeal and that Nini is alive and safe.
Hi sesat,
About that little boy, I think police should do a followup. Wonder if there was a report on a missing boy.
You see, the parents of the two girls lodged a police report immediately after the incident, but the news didnt appear in the papers until (Tuesday) six days later.
The IGP finally finally gave a directiveto his men yesterday to his men to act fast on reports of minors who go missing.
I thought it is a matter of course... something that's done when a report of a missing person is lodged.
it was very heart-crunching, Ninie's birthday came and went without her to blow the candles and cut the cake.
i had hoped the bomoh would predicted correctly even for being a skeptic. true enough, them shamans turns out to be a bunch of baloneys.
nOoRaLiN,
This is my e-mail:
mariasamad@yahoo.com
Hi Rita,
I agree with you that these abductors are getting bolder and more aggressive. I mean, trying to kidnap two children in public.
They could either be the same persons who have been committing this heinous crime or copycats knowing fully well the previous cases have remained unsolved.
“... Here in the US, an amber alert or any missing person case for the matter often remains a headline until it is solved. It not only helps extend the search but the publicity makes the criminals edgy resulting in them making mistakes."
We have Nurin Alert here modeled along the amber alert in the US.
Must thank farina aka princessjournals who first told my sister, Nuraina ( http://www.nursamad.blogspot.com)
about the Amber Alert and how it could be adapted here.
As for coverage on Sharlinie, it was good initially, especailly among Malaysian bloggers and, to be fair, in the mainstream media, TV and radio too.
Also, Malaysians irrespective of race and religion came together in the search for Nini like never before.
But of late there is not much news on her as attention turns to more pressing issues. Sad.
There are bloggers who have been agrressively blogging about her like tembam and marykate. They are doing a good job with their updates on Nini.
I guess we can't give up hope on Nini as we pray for her safe return.
p/s:If you wish to read about nurin alert here's the link:
http://nursamad.blogspot.com/2008/01/activating-nurin-alert-for-nini.html
kerp,
I waited anxiously for the good news on Tuesday, the day she was supposed to have been returned to her parents. That was what the bomohs promised.
Of course, I was very disappointed. I dont believe in all this bomoh thingy, but I was thinking okaylah, apa saja, asalkan nini can be found. Ikhtiar, apa cara juga.
You're right, young man, they turned out to be a bunch of baloneys.
Sigh. :(
Aunty Maria,
MaryKate pointed out that their 'dateline' was already up on monday but i gave them bomohs some beneficial of a doubt and waited till tuesday. For ninie's and encik Nashar's sake, I turned a believer for the whole week, only to be letdown by them clairvoyant-wannabes. fine, as responsible citizens, they felt its only right to chip in their bit but shouldnt have promised and gave the parents real high hopes in the first place.
and the way the ritual was done...my apology to be so hard on them but i swear it looked sooo plastic and fake, i can't believe some could actually buy it.
Kak Ton ... Thank you for the links. I read Nuraina's blog regularly and have been catching up on Sharlinie's news via your posts and that of other bloggers. My own friends from home update me as well. There is an increasing sense of hopelessness as each day passes and the feeling that not enough is being done naturally surfaces.
I am guilty of not spreading the word myself, Kak Ton. It isn't that I did not want to but more not knowing how to without reliving the fear of my own near abduction a few years ago. Each time a child is kidnapped I relive my own episode and the imagination of what could have happened to me or worse to one of my nieces. It is a weird and awful feeling. I cannot imagine what Sharlinie's parents are going through.
We have to keep our hopes high for them.
Kak Ton,
Don’t they read the papers, listen to the radio or watch news on TV?
You will be surprised, how many don't.Do you see Malaysian reading newspapers,magazines or books in trains, buses, airports and other public places like you see in many Western countries and Japan.
Many Malaysians don't even know their next door neighbours, let alone helping out when they are in trouble.
As I have said before, it's my conclusion it is not the work of one person, it is organised by a couple of people or more.
The number plate on the van could be false, but any identification is better than none.A young boy crying on the floor of the van ? Have there been a report of a missing boy? Or some parents are just too careless and uncaring to know their child is missing?
Let us hope and pray that Sharlinie is still alive and with God's mercy she will soon return home to her parents.
so many days have passed and soon it will be one month. Not a day goes by without seeing her picture, staring at us, reminding us that she is still missing. Is she in pain, is she eating well, or maybe just maybe, she was kept by a family who desperately loved children, or is she in the hands of evil monster. So many questions and no answers, and so sad that more attempts are made to kidnap children. Why didnt the police go on a FULL ALERT that kidnappings are done randomly and frequently, are the police afraid of more pressure or just election fever around? how many child need to go missing or murdered before the entire nation goes on a red alert? Can there be more safety talks by the police for schools, kindis and more importantly for the parents? What is happening to us and how safe are our children? Understandably there is a lot of pressure for the police force to settle Nurin and ninie's, what can the rest of us do but pray and hope? seems like that's the only shred of option left for us. just sad sad days for Ninie's parents.
Rita,
I am so sorry to hear about your ordeal. Where did it takle place, no dont tell me it happened here?
It must have been a terrifying experience. I can understand your fear.
You take care.
hantu laut,
You may be right. Could be the work of more than one person. A syndicate on child trafficking? That is another probability.
Hope is all we have so let's pray she is safe somewhere ...and alive.
marykate,
I know, it's more than three weeks now. Not much news except today (feb 2) police said, they believe she is still alive.
That's not good enough. Where is the evidence and on what basis did they come to that conclusion.
Like you say so many questions and no answers.
Sad, sad indeed. Kita hanya boleh berdoa, marykate.
Hi Aunty Maria,
Sigh...I was looking at the picture of Sharlinie on Kak Pi's blog, with her in a tudung, to fool people...
I didn't think about it...
She could be right under our noses, and we wont even realise because we (ok, me, not we) forgot to think about a girl with no tudung...
Sigh...
For all you know, she could have even been brainwashed...
Remember Elizabeth Smart in the US? Who was so near her home, but didn't run because she had been brainwashed into wanting to stay? She had developed something called Stockholm Syndrome...
There are sooo mnay possibilities out there!
Tok Mommy said:
"A syndicate on child trafficking? That is another probability."
I must say I was quite sceptical when this hypothesis was first bandied about.
With this latest attempt to abduct the girl, it would appear that these criminals have an established modus operandi and the "van" is an integral part of their M.O.
I am now leaning towards the possibility that there is really a syndicate on child trafficking out there.
Thank you for your kind thoughts, Kak Ton. It happened here in the US, at my own driveway some more. I will share the story this weekend.
I have been reading Temban's blog these past two days and share hers and Marykate's feeling. An aggressive and active push in the search for Sharlinie needs to occur and a high-profile and active campaign to prevent another abduction needs to be carried out.
And you are right to question what led the police to believe she is still arrive? Saying that and having no clues as to where she is borders on patronizing to me. :(
I am sure her parents prefer to see more action than have more false hopes piled on them.
daphne,
Tell you the truth: I wont be able to recognise her even if she was a in tudung, with straight or long hair. She looks like any other child her age. I could have seen her and not realising it was Nini. Sad.
All I'm thinking is she is somewhere with a stranger/s and cryiing longing to be with her mom.
Whenever I see her photo it breaks my heart because all I see is the face of my nieces superimposed on hers.
Brainwashed? Could be. Anything is possible, Daphne.
There was a film I saw on Hallmark based on the story of Elizabeth Smart. It was scary cuz she was abducted from her ghme at night.
I hope Nini will be found. That's what I have been praying for.
sesat,
Blogger Hantu Laut thinks it is the work of more than one person. I'm beginning to think so.
Another blogger, Pasquale, wrote way back in Nomber last year that Nurin might be a victim of internationaly syndicated Snuff Movie!
Police said they were contacting Interpol to help in Nini's case. But so far there has been no progress. What lah!! So frustrating.
oh yes! i wanted to scream when i read that story. PARENTS need to educate their kids on this matter no matter how old they are. and PEOPLE do need to be more kay poh when need be. ini tak, kepoh sana sini but not when it really counts.
and i go grrrrr seeing kids everywhere wihout proper supervision.
all this attitude of oh it'll never happen to me just grates on my nerves. nanti kalau dah kena, susahkan semua orang.
kak ton, if and just IF the pers are kidnapping children for 'movies',shouldnt the authorities be on a lookout for these group of people and working closely with interpol on possible distributions of such CDs. read in tembam's blog that our police are happy with our own 'credible interpol team'? I know its election fever, but no point for pak lah to promise the moon if safety issues are not addressed urgently and immediately. So what if we recruit another 60,000 police officers if they sit around and wait for reports. What we need is more crime preventions activities, like working with ruken tetangga comittees in housing areas, more patrolling (and not just to extort $$ from illegals), send our underworked cops to schools, and have a campaign trail all over the country on safety and prevention issues. am yearning, hoping, dreaming and waiting for good news on Ninie, and can only pray.mkate
Anon 9:48:00 PM
You know, some parents never learn. I was at the big Giant Supermarket in Kelana Jaya yesterday (Sunday). There was an unsually big crowd being a weekend and also because of the Chinese New Year shoppers.
As we were going back we suddenly noticed a little boy about 3 following my grandson, Adam. He was such a friendly boy. Maybe he must have mistaken Adam for his big brother and simply followed him. I was wondering were his parents were. He must have come from the same direction as us since he was behind Adam. So we took him by the hand and walked back from where we came from. Sure enough a woman walked towards us pointing at the little boy with a look of relief. She was the mother who was so engrossed looking at the goods on sale outside the supermarket & didnt realize her son had followed us from behind.
How like that? Like you say this attitude of "it’ll never happen to me" really gets on your nerves.
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