BATANG KALI: The hotel where six-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui was rescued stands vacant, devoid of either occupants or workers after the police raid in the wee hours.
A check by The Star later on Tuesday (July 23) found the hotel along Jalan Mahagoni 9 here closed, with just an automated voice message playing on repeat welcoming “customers”.
Curious onlookers came by after hearing the news.
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One, who wished to remain anonymous, said he saw policemen there in the morning as he was sending his child to a daycare.
“I wondered what was going on. I didn’t expect that the girl from Johor was found here.
“Thank God she was found safe. I wonder what is going on in Hulu Selangor. First, it was the murder of Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, and now this,” he said.
Another bystander, 23-year-old Low Jean Hong, said the hotel has been here for at least four years.
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He heard about what happened through social media and came by to see the place for himself.
“It is a narrow road so when something happens, it is very obvious,” he said.
Albertine was reported missing during a Bon Odori event at around 8.30pm on Saturday (July 20) at Eco Galleria in Johor Baru.
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The case was later reclassified as kidnapping.
At a press conference in Johor Baru on Tuesday, Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said a police team raided a room at the budget hotel at around 4.30am.
Five suspects have been arrested so far, with the fifth caught during the early morning raid here.
All the suspects are under remand to help with the investigation.
