LABUAN, Nov 8 — A 26-year-old woman was arrested yesterday over the discovery of a foetus in a sewage treatment plant on Monday.

Police detained the woman at Labuan Airport upon her arrival at about 11.55am — also arrested was her boyfriend, 26, who was waiting for her.

Labuan police chief Supt Muhamad Farid Ahmad said the woman was arrested on suspicion of concealing the birth of a child and illegally allowing the disposal of the foetus through a toilet bowl, with the foetus ending up in a sewage treatment plant located in the Taman Mahkota Impian housing estate at Jalan Bukit Timbalai. 

On Nov 4 at about 8am, Indah Water Consortium employees undertaking routine maintenance work found a 24 to 28-week-old female foetus in a rubbish trap in the sewage plant.

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Speaking at a press conference today, Muhamad Farid said the woman who is a private sector employee, had been renting a room alone, in the housing estate for the past three months.

 She is being held for seven days to assist with investigations under Section 318 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum penalty of a two-year imprisonment or fine.

Her boyfriend, a civil servant, was released on police bail yesterday.

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With investigations still underway, police cannot rule out the possibility of miscarriage or abortion, Muhamad Farid said, adding that on the night before the discovery of the foetus, the woman had complained to her boyfriend about experiencing stomach pain and had gone to the toilet, after which he had taken her to the Labuan Nucleus Hospital (formerly known as Labuan Hospital). — Bernama