Let my baby’s death be a lesson to all, says grieving mum

KUALA LUMPUR: When Noraihan Ab Aziz first met the woman offering to take care of her baby girl, she did not suspect anything amiss.

On Friday, her 11-month-old daughter Nur Muazara Ulfa Moh­ammad Zainal died after spending two days at Serdang Hospital in critical condition, believed to be due to physical and sexual abuse by the babysitter’s husband.

“As long as Zara’s (the baby) case is not settled, as long as the offender is not punished, I will not feel calm,” said the 22-year-old.

Noraihan, a factory operator in Bandar Baru Bangi, said the woman contacted her some two months ago after she wrote on Facebook that she was looking for a babysitter.

“I went to see her and from the way she spoke to me, I had no reason to be suspicious.

“But at that time, the babysitter’s husband and 20-month-old son were not at home,” she said.

Noraihan said she never expected such a tragedy to befall her family.

“My heart ached when I looked at Zara’s heart-wrenching condition. I leave it to the police to investigate and take appropriate action against the perpetrator,” she said.

Noraihan, her husband Muham­mad Zainal Abduk Rahaman, 27, and their son, Muhamad Alif Zam­ani, four, are now in their hometown of Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, where they buried Zara on Sunday.

Noraihan earlier expressed her grief in a Facebook post, saying: “You’re in peace there my dear... Wait for mother in heaven...”

She said she was contacted by the hospital on Wednesday evening and told that Zara was in critical condition after being brought there by the babysitter and her husband.

“The caretaker had called me five times, but my phone was out of coverage at that time.

“Upon arriving at the hospital, the babysitter told me she was very sorry, but her husband just looked calm as if nothing has happened,” Noraihan said.

She hoped that her ordeal could serve as a lesson to other parents to be more careful in choosing a childcare centre. — Bernama