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The girl is now at an orphanage and authorities will discuss further action for her care. Photo: Handout

Mother arrested after girl, 4, found alone in Sau Mau Ping trying to hail taxi

Police are investigating how the daughter of the 40-year-old asylum seeker from Uganda ended up at the location

A woman was arrested on Tuesday over ill treatment of her daughter after the girl, four, was found wandering on the street in Hong Kong.

The 40-year-old woman, an asylum seeker from Uganda, was detained when she arrived at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station with a man at about 1.30am. She told officers that her daughter was missing.

She made the report 24 hours after the girl was found alone on a street in Sau Mau Ping.

Hong Kong police search for parents of girl, 4, found trying to hail taxi in Sau Mau Ping

The two live in a flat in Chungking Mansions on Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, according to sources.

Officers are investigating if the girl had been taken to Sau Mau Ping and abandoned there.

By Tuesday evening, the woman was still being held for questioning and had not been charged.

The Post understands that the Hong Kong-born girl is currently being cared for in an orphanage in the city.

“Social workers, medical staff and police will discuss the girl’s welfare in a meeting and study if the mother is suitable and capable of caring for the girl,” a government source said.

At 1.30am on Monday, the girl was found along Sau Ming Road, alone and trying to hail a taxi.

A passing cab driver, 53, was concerned about her safety and took her to Kwun Tong Police Station, where he made a report. The girl was then taken to a public hospital for a check-up.

According to police, doctors found no apparent injuries on the girl and she was healthy.

Police were told that the girl wanted to go to Tsim Sha Tsui to find her mother, but she did not know the exact location.

After the check-up, the girl was sent to the orphanage.

“We are investigating when and how the girl reached Sau Mau Ping, and we are also looking into whether she was deliberately abandoned,” a police source said.

Detectives from Kwun Tong Police Station are handling the case.

In Hong Kong, ill-treatment or neglect of a child carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail under the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.

According to official statistics, there were 477 newly reported child abuse cases in the first six months of this year, with parents making up 59.3 per cent of the alleged abusers.

Figures from the Social Welfare Department showed there were 892 cases in 2016 and 874 in 2015.

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