KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities have strongly denied claims that they refused to accept a missing person’s report for a teenage girl within 24 hours of her disappearance, as alleged in social media posts.

Sungai Buloh district police chief, Superintendent Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor, responded to a user’s post on X, explaining that investigations showed the missing person’s report was filed promptly within three hours and 11 minutes, under case number Kuang 3482/24.

“This should settle any doubts that the police accepted the report within the proper time frame,” Hafiz said.

In a warning to the public, Hafiz highlighted the dangers of sharing unverified or false information, emphasizing that such actions could result in severe legal consequences, including jail time and fines under the Penal Code and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

“Offenders could face up to two years in prison or a fine of RM50,000, or both,” he added.

Earlier, Gya Natasya Abdullah, the teenage girl in question, had gone missing after leaving her home in Taman Matang Jaya. Her disappearance gained significant attention online before she was found the next morning by a passerby. She is now safely back with her mother.