Hutan melintang: An autistic six-year-old boy reported missing yesterday evening was found dead in an oil palm plantation in Kampung Baru, near Sungai Sumun, Hutan Melintang, last night.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Perak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations Division assistant director Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad stated that information on the missing child was received from the police at about 6.24 pm. Subsequently, a team from the Hutan Melintang Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched to the scene to assist in the search efforts.

Sabarodzi explained that the boy's father realized his son was missing after discovering the front door open and the child absent from the house. An initial search conducted by the father around the house and in a nearby oil palm plantation did not yield any results. A police report regarding the boy's disappearance was filed at 3.30 pm.

The search and rescue operation continued, and at approximately 10.08 pm, members of the public discovered the boy in a ditch within the oil palm plantation area. Sabarodzi confirmed that the victim's body was subsequently handed over to the police for further action, and the operation concluded by around 11 pm.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Bagan Datuk Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) District Operations Control Centre revealed that villagers found the boy about 330 metres from his house, and a forensic team confirmed his death.