KUALA LUMPUR: The body of a baby was found floating in a river behind a restaurant on Jalan Klang Lama here today.

The Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) operations centre received a report regarding the incident at around 3 pm via a MERS999 emergency call.

“Following that, eight personnel from the Seputeh fire and rescue station, along with a fire engine, were rushed to the scene.

“The firemen retrieved the baby’s body and handed it over to police for further action,“ according to a statement from the Kuala Lumpur JPBM.

Meanwhile, Brickfields district police chief ACP Ku Mashariman Ku Mahmood said preliminary investigations revealed that a witness at the scene found what appeared to be a body stuck on rocks in the river before alerting the police at 2.05 pm.

“Investigations found that the body was that of a baby boy, still with the umbilical cord attached. A post-mortem will be conducted at 1 pm tomorrow at the Forensic Department of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre,” he said in a statement.

He said the case is being investigated under Section 318 of the Penal Code for concealing a birth by secretly disposing of the body.