“If convicted, the penalty includes imprisonment for up to seven years and a possible fine,” added Mr M Kumar.
According to local reports, the trio is scheduled to appear at the Johor Bahru High Court on Tuesday morning.
The police chief did not confirm whether the girl had been found or give any other details of the girl’s family background and if those arrested were related to her.
In an interview with The Star, Albertine’s mother Mdm Leo Qieo Xin was quoted as urging the public not to spread false information which could hinder the chances of her being found.
“Too much information and so-called sightings are being posted on social media.”
“This will affect the police search for my daughter. So please stop spreading false information,” she reportedly said.
Photos of the girl, allegedly taken at the event, shortly made the rounds on social media, according to local publications.
According to The Star, claims that Albertine had been seen at the Johor Bahru Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex had also been circulating online, sparking concerns that she might have been taken out of Malaysia.
The Bon Odori is a summer festival originating from Japan that has been held in parts of Malaysia to help promote and strengthen ties between the two countries.
Albertine is around 120cm tall, with long black hair, local media reported.
She was reportedly last seen by her father at about 8.30pm on Jul 20 and was wearing a white t-shirt with a Mickey Mouse image on the chest and shorts.
According to a report by The Sun in February, an average of two children in Malaysia went missing every day in the country between 2021 and 2023.
Most were located or returned home on their own, the report said.
And of the 779 reported cases of missing children last year, the police managed to find 709 of them, according to Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division chief assistant director ACP Siti Kamsiah Hassan.
