A newborn baby girl was found abandoned in a box lined with a cloth, behind a house at Taman Seri Intan 2, Hutan Melintang, near here, early yesterday.

The infant's cries were noticed by housewife, S. Vasanthi, 49, and her husband at 3am.

Hilir Perak police chief ACP Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said the baby was found with her umbilical cord intact and was later cleaned up by the couple before a report was lodged at the Hutan Melintang police station.

"Police were deployed to the scene and initial investigation revealed that behind the complainant's house was a dark alley which connected to the main road," he said in statement here today.

Wan Hassan said the baby girl was sent to the Hutan Melintang Health Clinic before receiving further treatment at the Teluk Intan Hospital.

Police were conducting further investigation to trace the baby's mother, he added.

-- BERNAMA