THE police must find M. Indira Gandhi’s former husband and youngest child to boost the declining public confidence in the force, said civil society groups.

They said the public are unable to believe that the police, with all the adequate technology and resources, have yet to locate Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, who unilaterally converted their three children to Islam 10 years ago.

The Federal Court last year ruled that the children’s conversions were null and void without the consent of their mother.

The court had also ordered for Riduan to be arrested and for their youngest child, Prasana Diksa, 10, to be returned to her mother. Riduan had taken the child away when she was barely one, leaving the two older children with Indira.

But despite her legal victory, Indira said she has no reason to celebrate as she has not seen Prasana since she was 11 months old.

Police need to resolve quickly Indira’s case to regain the people’s trust, the Malaysian Community Care Foundation (MCCF) said.

MCCF chairman Halim Ishak said the public have become bolder criticising and even insulting police through social media for failing to resolve cases of public interest.

“MCCF believes that the police need to be firmer when handling high-profile cases and have integrity fighting crime,” he said.

Halim, a former member of the police’s elite VAT69 squad, said police should be able to find Riduan easily with the use of technology.

Majidah Hashim, communications manager of women’s rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS), said it is regrettable that police still cannot find Riduan and Prasana after all these years.

The failure to find them did not inspire public confidence in the force of its ability to act according to public interest, she said.

“Indira has already won her legal battle in court last year but she continues to suffer the loss of her youngest child.

“She just wants to see her daughter, to tell the child she loves her. After spending all that time, energy and resources, the pain of not knowing where your child is something no mother should have to go through,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Last week, a year after a landmark court decision granting Indira custody of Prasana, the former kindergarten teacher told The Malaysian Insight that she is at her wits’ end in her quest to see her child.

Indira said she has yet to hear from police and be reunited with her daughter after the court proceedings on January 29 last year.

“I have exhausted all avenues looking for my daughter. There are also no updates from police.

“I am no longer represented by lawyer M. Kulasegaran, who was made minister. I don’t know who to turn to now.

“How long more do I have to endure this torture?”

Commenting on Indira’s latest outburst, the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) urged police to explain the reason for their failure to locate and arrest Riduan.

Its communication and advocacy officer Tan Heang-Lee said the court ordered police five years ago to arrest the man, and the public deserve an explanation on the failure.

“The police have to obey the court order and show their commitment to doing the job according to the law,” she said.

Inspector-general of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun previously said the Bukit Aman crime investigation department director had on numerous occasions urged the public to share information with the police if they knew anything about Riduan and Prasana. But so far, no one has come forward.

On January 17, police again issued a media statement urging the public to help find Riduan, who was previously known as Pathmanathan Krishnan.

Prasana’s two older siblings, who are now young adults, live with Indira. – February 15, 2019.