JOHOR BARU, Dec 27 — The effects of beatings and burn marks believed to have been caused by hot objects were among the severe injuries suffered by a four-year-old boy who died here yesterday of suspected torture.

Johor police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said preliminary investigations revealed that the child, who died at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI), had serious injuries almost all over his body.

"The examination on the victim’s body was sad and heart-breaking. The injuries could be a result of beatings and also burn marks due to fire or hot objects, including on his genitals," he told reporters at the HSI forensic unit today.

He said the victim, who was the youngest of 11 siblings, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Dec 23 and pronounced dead at 6.40 pm yesterday.

Kamarul Zaman said the injuries found were both old and new, and police were still waiting for the autopsy report.

The boy, whose parents were jailed in September for a drug offence, was initially looked after by his third sister before she left him under her friend’s care.

He said that about two weeks after the boy was left with her sister's friend, the husband of the babysitter found the boy unconscious at home in Senggarang, Batu Pahat.

“When the husband took the boy to his wife, she decided to bring him to hospital where doctors advised her to lodge a police report,” he added.

He said the friend felt that the boy's sister was not able to take care of him and suggested that she be allowed to look after him.

Kamarul Zaman said so far five individuals, aged 15 to 37, had been arrested to assist in the investigations, including the victim’s 19-year-old sister and her 37-year-old husband.

They have been remanded for seven days until Dec 31.

He said the remains would be handed over to the next of kin confirmed by the Social Welfare Department after the post-mortem was completed.

Kamarul Zaman said the case was initially investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 but was later reclassified under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. — Bernama