Mum thankful her 3 kids not harmed

IPOH - Safarela Ishak has learnt a valuable lesson following the disappearance of her three children.

She said the public had accused her of being a bad mother after they went missing on Tuesday.

"I take it as a lesson and will not to let it happen again. What is more important is that all my children have been safely returned to me," said the 36-year-old single mother.

Syauratul Syafiah Rizauddin, 6, and her brothers - Syahir Syafi, 8, and Syarafuddin Syazwan, 11 - were reported missing on Tuesday.

They were found at a relative's home in Rawang on Wednesday evening.

Safarela thanked everyone for their assistance in locating her children.

"I do not wish to comment further as I am still recovering from fatigue after travelling to Selangor to bring my children back," she said at her home in Taman Meru yesterday.

Safarela had initially refused to be interviewed and declined to have her and her children's pictures taken.

"I leave it to the police to investigate the matter."

Deputy state police chief Datuk A. Paramasivam said the case was being investigated under Section 361 of the Penal Code for kidnapping.

"The children were not harm-ed by the relative (who had ta-ken them away)," he said, add-ing that no arrest had been made yet.

Asked on the motive behind the case, Paramasivam said police believed it to be a family misunderstanding.

Police, looking for the children, received a tip-off that they were at the relative's house at 11pm on Wednesday.

They were found and taken to the Gombak police headquarters where they were reunited with their mother.

After having their statements taken, the family left the district police headquarters at 2.30am.

Gombak police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rahim Abdullah said the children were believed to have taken a taxi from their house to the relative's home in Rawang.

"The children claimed their aunt had paid the taxi fare for them to get to Rawang."