KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian policewoman's recent act of compassion and maternal care has deeply moved netizens.
A photo of her bathing the young son of a detainee has gone viral online, stirring emotions across social media platforms.
The touching moment was captured in a now-viral post on the Friends of PDRM's Facebook page.
The image shows the policewoman at the Bentong police station, tenderly cleaning and bathing the boy, illustrating a heartwarming display of kindness and empathy.
"Thank you, 'akak polis', even though he's not your child. It's the responsibility of a police officer to provide all necessary care for a child after their mother is detained for a commercial crime offence.
"The child's welfare is ensured before being handed over to the Welfare Department. Credit to the personnel of the Bentong police station; officers and society are interconnected. Salute to PDRM," the post read.
Quoting a local news portal, the 35-year-old policewoman, Lance Corporal Siti Sarah Ariffin, recounted how the child was brought to the Bentong police station after his mother was arrested in Cheras for a commercial crime and transferred to the Bentong Prison.
Expressing sympathy upon seeing the child's unkempt condition, she said: "I was on duty when a man told me he was a friend of the child's mother and handed over the boy to me so that he could be taken to the Welfare Department.
"I was deeply concerned seeing his condition and thought of my own children at home. His diapers hadn't been changed for days. Besides cleaning him up, I also hand-fed him food and drinks."
Since then, the boy has been placed under the Welfare Department's care.
The post has garnered over 3,800 reactions, with many commenters praising the policewoman for her caring treatment of the child, treating him as if he were her own.
"No matter what our profession is, when it comes to children, a sense of empathy will naturally arise in a woman's instinct. Thank you," said Eita Rosita.
"He is a human just like us... act with humanity as fellow human beings. Wrong is still wrong... but the innocent need to fulfil their responsibilities as fellow human beings. Well done, may this be the cause for us to become inhabitants of paradise later, sincere in our profession," commented Ridduan Wahab.