RESIDENTS in Damansara Damai, especially those in Idaman Apartments, are now worried for the safety of their children following the discovery of the body of six-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin.

Zayn’s neighbour, Abdul Rashid Tatwi, 39, said the incident has rocked the neighbourhood, adding that they were afraid to now leave their children alone at home or allow them to play outside.

Rashid said some parents had resorted to bringing their children to work to avoid untoward incidents.

“After this incident, I am more careful about letting my children play in the apartment area,” said the father of three young children.

“I have also taken them to be with me at my stall for fear of something happening if they are left alone,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Trader Rashid, whose family settled in the area three years ago, said he knew Zayn as a quiet boy.

He said he had observed Zayn’s mother only allowing the six-year-old to play around the balcony of their apartment.

“Sometimes he would play for a while in front of our house after coming home from preschool, with his mother watching.

“When his mother told him to go into the house, he would obey her instructions. He was not a troublesome boy,” he said.

Rashid said he was at this stall when he received news of Zayn’s disappearance on Tuesday.

“On the day of the incident, his father asked in the community WhatsApp group if we had seen his son. That’s when I knew Zayn was missing,” he said.

Rashid then joined the residents of Idaman Apartments to help find the child.

Zayn was later found dead in a nearby drainage area a day later. By then, his parents had sought the public’s assistance to look for Zayn. They had also lodged a police report about his disappearance.

“Zayn’s father passed out as soon as he heard out about the discovery of the boy’s body. I was the one who held him when he fell.

“I understand his sadness because I myself am a father,” he said.

Zayn was found to be missing at 12.30pm on Tuesday. After more than 30 hours, the victim, who has autism, was found near a creek about 200m from his residence in Block R, Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai at 10pm on Wednesday.

A forensic examination found evidence of injuries to Zayn’s neck and body, suspected to be the result of a criminal act.

Following this, the case previously classified as sudden death has been reclassified as murder and is being investigated under section 302 of the penal code.

So far, the police have recorded the statements of five individuals to assist in their investigation, including Zayn’s parents and the person who first found his body.

Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said that police will also record statements from neighbours and school authorities.

Installing CCTV

Another neighbour who lives on the same floor in the apartment, Shida Rajali, said she also no longer leaves her children alone at home.

“Usually, I would leave my two children, aged five and six, at home while I send my eldest to school.

“After this incident, I started taking them together even though my destination is only 10 minutes from home,” said Shida, 35.

She also said she has never seen children playing in that lonely part of the area where Zayn’s body was found.

“From the window of the house, I can see the back but there have never been any children playing there,” she said.

A survey at the apartment also revealed a quiet neighbourhood because parents had forbidden their children from playing outside.

Shida said she also hopes that the apartment’s joint management body will install more closed circuit cameras (CCTV) in for the safety of the residents.

“My husband and I also plan to install CCTV outside the house because our unit is located next to the stairs. Many people will use the stairs to get up and down, which is a bit worrying.”

Hussein had also said that they were investigating the possibility that the victim knew his killer.

The police also suspect that the child was killed elsewhere and his body was placed near the creek. – December 10, 2023.