Father warns parents after almost losing daughter in shopping complexKhairul Adam Abdullah, his wife, Fitri Yanah Jumat, and their daughter, Aleesya Dania. Khairul says the recent incident where he nearly lost his daughter to a woman in a tudung at a shopping complex was a wake-up call for him and called on other parents to always keep a close watch on their children. — Pic courtesy of Khairul Adam Abdullah
[size=100%]KOTA KINABALU, Feb 18, 2015: A father’s love has no boundaries and Khairul Adam Abdullah is now willing to splurge on security devices to keep his children safe.
He had thought about doing so for a while now but had been putting it off for some time.
But after last Saturday’s incident, he knew it had to be done. And soon.
A simple weekend outing nearly ended in tragedy when Khairul almost lost his middle child, aged three, to a woman garbed in a tudung (Muslim headscarf), who tried to run off with her.
Khairul, a computer technician, who now resides in Labuan, happened to be in town for the weekend.
“I had something to do in the city. So I thought since it was the weekend, I’d also visit my family back home in Tuaran.”
Last Saturday, the father of three took his family for an outing at the Karamunsing Complex to shop for some computer gadgets.
“In my line of work, I always want to get the latest and updated computer goods.
“So the third floor at the complex is my favourite spot as it houses computer shops. I thought I would check out some new items.
“My wife was at one of the aisles, with our daughter, Aleesya Dania, still in her field of view.
“She noticed a woman, wearing a tudung, walking close to my daughter.
“The woman looked at my daughter a few times before suddenly grabbing my daughter’s hand, but Dania managed to pull her hand free.
“The woman again grabbed Dania’s hand and started to walk away.
“My wife quickly called out my daughter’s name, shocking the woman who then released my daughter’s hand.
“My wife heard the woman saying ‘sorry’, before she hurriedly left,” said Khairul, relating the ordeal.
Khairul said it was odd that the woman had mistaken Dania to be her own.
“She could have said sorry and looked at my wife. She didn’t. Instead she left hurriedly.”
He said Dania could have been seen as an easy target because the three-year-old was also wearing a tudung.
“The woman could have taken my daughter, removed their tudung and walk out of the complex easily because everyone would be looking for a woman with a child, also in tudung,” said Khairul.
He said he once read on social media about a mother who nearly lost her daughter while buying food at a busy Ramadan bazaar In Kuala Lumpur.
“I actually spoke to my mother just the night before the incident about wanting to buy gadgets or devices that look like accessories for my children.
“These devices actually have a GPS linked to my cell phone that will track down my children if something bad happens to them.
“It costs RM100 to RM400, and sometimes more.
“But I am willing to spend that much as long as my children are safe.”
Khairul, who goes by the name “Adam Rascals”, posted his ordeal on his Facebook, reminding other parents to keep a close watch on their children.
“There are opportunists everywhere. I don’t mind people sharing my Facebook status because I know I am doing good.
“What happened to me could happen to others. It’s important for us to be alert always.”
TRP |