A cleaner heard the baby crying inside a sanitary bin at Penang International Airport before authorities rushed him to a hospital.
GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia — A newborn boy was found alive and crying inside a sanitary bin in a toilet at Penang International Airport, leading police to detain a 23-year-old Malaysian woman and a 22-year-old Myanmar man as investigators work to determine how the child came to be abandoned.
The baby was discovered Aug. 31 after a member of the airport’s cleaning staff heard crying coming from the bin, according to Southwest District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Anuwal Ab Wahab. The worker investigated the sound and found the infant inside a restroom at the airport in Bayan Lepas, on the Malaysian island of Penang. The baby was taken to Penang Hospital for treatment. Authorities have not publicly released an updated description of his medical condition.
Police said the infant was believed to have been born shortly before he was found. People and other news outlets reported that the boy’s umbilical cord and placenta were still attached when he was discovered. Authorities have not released the baby’s identity or additional information about his birth.
Investigators reviewed closed-circuit television footage from the airport as they tried to determine who may have left the baby in the restroom. The investigation led officers to a 23-year-old Malaysian woman, who was detained at the nearby Bukit Jambul Complex, Anuwal said. Some initial reports listed the woman as 22, but Malaysian national news agency Bernama and The Star reported her age as 23 based on the police statement.
Further investigation led police to a 22-year-old Myanmar national who works as a security guard. Authorities said he was detained to assist with the investigation. Police also said the man was unable to produce valid travel documents when officers questioned him. Neither detainee has been publicly identified.
Police have not publicly established the relationship between the woman, the man and the newborn. Investigators said they were continuing to determine each person’s possible involvement and connection to the incident. Authorities have also not announced who gave birth to the child or who placed him in the sanitary bin.
The Penang police forensic team examined the airport restroom after the discovery. Investigators collected several samples from the scene and sent them to Malaysia’s Chemistry Department for analysis, according to police. Authorities did not describe the samples or say when laboratory results might be available.
The case is being investigated under Section 317 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which concerns the abandonment or exposure of a child younger than 12 by a parent or person responsible for the child. The investigation does not establish that either person detained committed an offense, and police said they were still working to determine their involvement.
Anuwal urged members of the public not to speculate about the identities or relationships of those involved and not to circulate unverified claims that could interfere with the investigation. Police have released few details about what happened before the cleaner heard the child crying.
The discovery drew widespread attention after reports and footage connected to the rescue circulated online. Authorities have not confirmed every detail appearing in social media posts about the case, and police have emphasized that the investigation remains active.
Penang International Airport is one of Malaysia’s major aviation hubs and serves the northern state of Penang. The infant was found in a sanitary waste bin inside an airport toilet, according to police. Local reporting described the restroom as one designated for people with disabilities.
No criminal charge against either detainee had been publicly announced in the reports reviewed as of Saturday. Police said their investigation is continuing as forensic evidence is analyzed and officers work to establish how the newborn came to be left at the airport.