Couple claims duped by former landlords to give up child

A husband and wife, who are Indian nationals, claimed to have been duped by their former landlords to give up custody of their child.

Manimaram Sakthivel and his wife Aarthi Kumaresan claimed they were tricked into signing a statutory declaration (SD) on the premise that it was a requirement for their child to continue schooling in Malaysia.

However, they later learned the SD was to allow their child to be adopted by the landlords, who were also their former employers.

Manimaran said they did not understand what they were signing as the document was in Malay - a language they were not well versed in - and had no reason to be suspicious of the duo who made them sign the documents.

The landlords allegedly registered the adoption with the National Registration Department (NRD) without the parents’ knowledge.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Manimaran said he has been working in Malaysia since 2006, starting in Ampang, Selangor.

He said that’s where he got to know his future landlords, who were friends with his employer at the time.

He said he would go back and forth between India and Malaysia for several years, before moving to Malaysia in 2019 - this time with Aarthi by his side.

“Our child was born (in September 2020) at a private hospital in Ampang. We registered the birth and got a non-citizen birth certificate,” he said.

During that time, the couple would occasionally meet with their future landlords - who operated a catering business.

Becoming close

The relationship grew in 2022 when Aarthi began working with the caterers in January.

“From there, we became close, and they sometimes brought our child to their restaurant or to family events, or even to stay with them,” Manimaran said.

When Aarthi found another job in Masjid India in March that year, the caterers took on babysitting duties for a fee of RM500 a month.

Manimaran and Aarthi eventually rented a room from the couple in June that year, for RM300 per month.

The room was reportedly in an office owned by the landlords but was used by Manimaran and Aarthi as a place to stay.

By 2023, they began paying their now-landlords RM1,000 per month for childcare fees, including tuition at a private preschool.

“Around June 2023, the couple (landlords) told us we need to sign some documents so that our child can continue their education in Malaysia.

“We signed the documents and had no suspicions because I had also begun working for them,” Manimaran said.

Trip to NRD

Then in August 2023, the couple were brought to the NRD office in Kajang, purportedly regarding their child’s education.

The couple said they could only reply “tolong saya” (help me), “tak tahu” (I don't know), and “balik kampung” (returning to home town) to questions by NRD officers.

However, the couple remained unsuspecting that something was amiss until last November.

“They would frequently prevent us from seeing our child, claiming that we spoiled the child too much,” Manimaran said.

“Then in December, when we told the couple we wanted to bring the child back with us to India, they scolded us and prevented it.

“That is when we learned that they had gained custody over our child,” he added.

Bring case to court

Since then, the parents have not been able to meet their child, and have also been evicted by the couple.

“We begged them to return our child, but they used harsh words against us,” Manimaran said.

Social activist Megala Murthi has come to the aid of the couple and has helped them lodge a police report.

Megala said the police informed them that the case needed to be referred to court.

“We have also met the Indian high commission. They have vowed to provide us with legal assistance to bring this to court.

“What happened to Manimaran and Aarthi is unfair. I hope the Malaysian government will intervene and return their child to them,” she told Malaysiakini. - Mkini