Teacher still waiting to get baby taken by convert hubby

(THE STAR) – Kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi spent a sleepless night at the Ipoh police district headquarters, waiting for her baby to be returned to her.

She had been there since the High Court here granted her interim custody of her three children and an injunction preventing her husband from entering their home.

On Friday, Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim had also ordered police to assist Indira Gandhi, 34, in enforcing the orders.

However, Indira Gandhi said police told her to find K. Patmanathan, 40, before they could retrieve one-year-old Prasana Diksa. Patma-nathan had taken Prasana from their home in First Garden on April 4 after he had converted to Islam.

“If I could locate him, I definitely would have gone and brought my baby straight home.

“What are the police there for?”

When met at her place of vigil, Indira Gandhi said Patmanathan called her at 8.30pm on Friday to say he was on his way to Singapore.

She claimed he refused when she asked him to return Prasana.

“She is still breastfeeding and I have not done so for the past one month. I don’t know how she’s doing,” she said.

Patmanathan’s last known address was his mother’s house in Pasir Puteh.

Police refused to comment, but Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran said they had agreed to set up a special unit to trace the husband.

When contacted, Perak CPO Deputy Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah gave this assurance: “My officers are helping the mother.

“We are carrying out investigations. We will assist and enforce the court order.”

According to court documents, Indira Gandhi discovered that her husband had converted to Islam on March 11 and was now known as Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah.