Needle in a haystack: The budget hotel where Albertine was found in Batang Kali, Selangor. — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
HULU SELANGOR: A sleepy town here was rocked after an early morning raid at a budget hotel, leading to the rescue of six-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui.
While those living and working along Jalan Mahagoni 9, where the rescue happened, said they were unaware of the arrest in the early hours yesterday, they did notice a group of policemen crowding the township later on.
According to a bystander near the budget hotel, a suspect was brought back to the property around 9am. This was an hour after forensics police started combing the area for clues. He explained that at first, he was puzzled by the number of police personnel there but later learned about the case through social media.
A father who had just picked up his child at a nearby daycare said that he saw police gathering as early as 8am.
“There was a truck and a crowd of policemen. I was wondering what was going on. I didn’t expect that the girl from Johor was found here.
“Thank God she is 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, declining to be named.
It is known that at around 9am a suspect was seen here with police escort. A car that was parked nearby became a point of interest and was investigated by forensics police.
Later in the evening, plainclothes policemen were seen returning to the hotel.
They were seen inspecting the outside of the property before leaving roughly 15 minutes later.
It is also known that the forensics police removed several pieces of evidence from the hotel and left at around 11am.
Throughout the duration of The Star’s observation of the hotel, not a single person was seen entering or leaving the premises.
The door was also locked shut, while an automated voice message on repeat welcomed “customers”. There was a block of shops nearby, but only three were seen open.
Curious motorists were also seen stopping briefly to take photos of the hotel. They said that they came by just to take photos of the hotel after reading the news.
