Fifth suspect remanded until July 29 in Albertine Leo kidnapping case

JOHOR BARU: The fifth suspect in the kidnapping case involving six-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui has been remanded for seven days, from today until July 29.

Magistrate Muhammad Fitri Mokhtar issued the remand order for the 31-year-old male suspect. He was arrested at a budget hotel near Batang Kali, Selangor, at 4:45 a.m. and arrived at the Johor Bahru Court Complex at 3 p.m.

The suspect, transported from Selangor to Johor Bahru in a Proton Persona, was seen wearing a Bon Odori Johor festival shirt. The festival was held at the Eco Galleria business center in Iskandar Puteri over the weekend.

Albertine was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday from the Eco Galleria, which was hosting a Japanese cultural festival at the time.

Yesterday, Johor police reclassified the case as kidnapping under Section 365 of the Penal Code, which covers the kidnapping or abduction of a person with the intent to secretly and wrongfully confine them. The case is also under investigation according to Section 14(2) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, due to physical contact with the child.

Three suspects, aged between 28 and 55, were detained at 1:30 p.m. yesterday in Iskandar Puteri, Gelang Patah, Johor, to assist with the investigation. A fourth suspect, a woman in her 40s, was arrested at 12:15 a.m. today.

Albertine was found safe in Batang Kali today. Johor police chief Commissioner M. Kumar confirmed at a press conference that the child had been located at a hotel there.