KUALA LUMPUR – The family of missing teenager Nurqasehku Suhaimi Abdul Rahman heaved a sigh of relief when the 14-year-old was found unhurt late last night in Pasir Gudang, Johor, just in the nick of time for Aidilfitri festivities.
Nurqasehku, also fondly known as Qaseh, was discovered by her family after her adoptive mother, Nur Hazlin Mohd Noor, 42, received information from a good Samaritan on the teen’s whereabouts.
“The woman who saw Qaseh spotted her at a pondok (hut) in Pasir Gudang a few days ago, but she wanted to confirm that the girl she saw was actually Qaseh before making any calls.
“Last night at around 10pm, she approached Qaseh and brought her to a nearby police station, where I then went to pick her up,” Nur Hazlin told Scoop when contacted today.
Expressing relief over Qaseh’s safe return, the mother added that Qaseh had been working as a dishwasher in a restaurant in the area since she left her home on April 1 with nothing but her helmet and the clothes on her back.
“Qaseh was earning about RM20 a day through her job there and had used the money to buy a change of clothes and a new anak tudung (inner headscarf),” Nur Hazlin said.
“When we saw her last night, she looked like she had lost a lot of weight, (as) her cheeks were sunken and she looked weak.
“Hopefully, this is an experience that will help her character grow as she gets older. We’re just thankful that she’s back home safe.”
Nur Hazlin also said that she is grateful for the role played by netizens and media sites that spread the word about her missing daughter.
“If Qaseh’s disappearance had not gone viral online, I don’t think anyone would have ever found her.
“Even the woman who found her recognised her from my many Facebook posts urging the public to keep an eye out for Qaseh,” she added.
Yesterday, Nur Hazlin told Scoop that Qaseh had left her home in Tg Minyak, Melaka, without her identification card, phone or spare clothes on April 1.
Nur Hazlin and her husband, 45-year-old Suhaimi Ali, had then lodged a missing persons report at the Tg Minyak police station before searching for Qaseh themselves in Melaka and Kuala Lumpur based on information received from the public.
She also said that the family had not argued with Qaseh before her disappearance, stressing that Qaseh was loved like their own blood since they had taken care of her from infancy. – April 10, 2024