JOHOR BARU: Single mother M. Vikneswari was horrorified to see how her two boys under the care of a couple ended up with bruises and injuries all over their bodies.
"What have my children done to deserve this? They are still children and not slaves!" said the 30-year-old who worked at a restaurant.
Vikneswari said the couple, who are in their 30s and stayed at Selesa Jaya in Skudai, had allegedly abused her six-year-old and 11-year-old sons.
The boys' mother only realised that they had been abused when they were sent back to her last Thursday.
"I am shocked to see my two sons who have bruises and injuries covering almost every part of their bodies except for the genital area. They are in pain and in a weak state as if they have been under fed," she said.
Vikneswari said she was introduced to the couple by a friend and paid RM800 monthly for them to look after her sons since April.
Since she had been very busy earning income for her family, the single mother said she had made only three visits to see her sons when they were under the couple's care.
"My husband died few years ago and I am a single mother who works at a restaurant. I constantly called the couple, asking about my sons and they told me the boys were fine.
"But lately, the couple had prevented me from visiting my boys by giving all kind of excuses including undergoing self-quarantine due to being close contact to Covid-19 patient.
"My anxiety rose when they told me that one of my sons had been scalded by hot water during the quarantine period," Vikneswari said, adding that she had been told that she could only meet her sons after 48 days.
She shared her anxiety with her employer P. Anbarasu who had advised her to lodge a police report.
After lodging a report, the couple sent her two sons back via Grab Ride to her house in the city.
Vikneswari said her sons alleged that they had been hit with a cane, tied up, hot water poured on them and burnt with cigarettes.
"My sons are being treated at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital to ensure their injuries will not be infected. I pray they will get well soon and I will not put them under the care of others after this," she said, hoping the police would take action against the couple.
Anbarasu said he was upset by what had happened.
"They are from a poor family and it is unthinkable how something like this can happen to the young boys. I hope action will be taken against those responsible so that it will be a lesson to others."
Iskandar Puteri district police chief Assistant Commissioner Dzulkhairi Mukhtar confirmed to have received a report regarding the incident.
He said three locals, aged between 24 and 32, had been detained to assist in police investigation.