Singaporean Mother Offers RM50k For Information On Her Missing Son
Caleb was allegedly abducted by his own father on 25 May, 2024, and has been declared missing since.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
A Singaporean woman is offering RM50,000 as a reward for anyone who might have information on her missing seven-year-old son, who went missing in Malaysia last year.
Daylin Limonte Alvarez, who is originally from Cuba, has been searching for her son Caleb Liang Wei Luqman Limonte after he was allegedly abducted by his father Luqman Liang Hsien Masood in May 2024.
Growing public support has renewed Daylin’s hope that someone might soon come forward with concrete information on Caleb’s whereabouts, Free Malaysia Today reported.
What allegedly happened
After Daylin and Luqman’s divorce in 2021, the Singapore and Johor Bahru shariah courts awarded custody to Daylin, granting her legal guardianship and control over key aspects like her child’s passport. Visitation rights were granted to Luqman, her ex-husband, under specific conditions.
On 25 May 2024, Luqman took Caleb for a weekend visit (as per their arranged visitation schedule) but did not return him when the visit was over.
The father and child are believed to have left Singapore and crossed over into Malaysia via Johor Bahru, as immigration records showed that they entered Malaysia on 27 May 2024 and have not left since, according to media reports.
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority confirmed Luqman and Caleb’s entry to Malaysia a week after a missing person’s report was lodged, and the Singapore Consulate in Johor Bahru confirmed with the Malaysian Immigration department that both father and son entered the country via the Woodlands Checkpoint.
Legal and diplomatic obstacles
Based on a report by Scoop, Daylin applied to the Johor shariah court on 10 July 2024 to enforce a Singaporean shariah judicial order granting her primary guardianship of her son, who was six years old at the time.
The Singapore shariah court had revoked Luqman’s visitation rights earlier in June 2024 following repeated breaches, according to a report by New Straits Times.
Meanwhile, a Nur Alert (Malaysia’s equivalent of an Amber or urgent missing child alert) was issued in August this year by Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women, and Child Investigation Division (D11).
The 1980 Hague Convention
Even though the court in Singapore has made orders, enforcing them in Malaysia poses legal and procedural difficulties. Cooperation across borders in family law matters can be complex.
For one, Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which means that some of the treaty-based mechanisms for obtaining a child’s quick return across international borders are not available.
To make things more complicated, Luqman is said to be unreachable, with his phone no longer working and his social media inactive.
For now, Luqman and Caleb’s whereabouts are still unknown, and a mother continues the year-long search for her missing child.
A website was also set up to direct anyone who may have information about Caleb at helpfindcaleb.com.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
