TUARAN, Jan 13 — The incident where a girl was held hostage in an apartment in Telipok Ria near here this afternoon, has shocked residents in the area.

According to Arwan Hatta, 49, a witness who was outside his house, he had seen the suspect going up to the top floor of the apartment block and then entering one of the units.

He said the suspect then came out of the unit, grabbed the child who was playing outside the four-storey apartment block.

“The suspect then pulled out a a knife before pointing it to the neck of the child and then took her up into a room at one of the houses on the top floor.

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“After that I shouted out saying there was a ‘child thief’ before the neighbours came to help,” he said when met at the scene.

Arwan, who has been living in the apartment complex for nine years, said that even though the girl was injured, she did not cry.

He said that with help from the neighbours, they broke down the front door of the house where the child was held as hostage.

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“But then, the suspect was in the toilet while spurting water over the girl, and at the same time threatening us and telling us not to get near the child,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jemati Maidun, 47, who lives nearby, said she was about to go to the hospital for a routine check-up but rushed to the scene instead, when she learned of the incident.

She said that she was more concerned about the fate of the child upon finding out that the girl had injuries on her neck.

Nordiya Laila, 15, was just as shocked that such an incident had occurred in the area.

“I was surprised when I heard that a child had been kidnapped in the area where we live,” she said. — Bernama