PETALING JAYA: “They (kidnappers) can’t beat me,” Nayati Shamelin Moodliar told his parents on Thursday when he insisted on walking home from the Mont Kiara International School where he had thanked his friends and teachers for their support.
Nayati was kidnapped by two men in a black Proton Gen.2 on April 27 as he was walking from his home in Mont Kiara in Kuala Lumpur to school. On Thursday, it came a full circle when Nayati, 12, walked home from school, accompanied by his friends.
“His courage and determination was so touching, but it is part of the healing process. He wants to continue with his life and leave that dark episode behind him,” his parents, Sham Moodliar and Janice Smith, said yesterday.
“Nayati was walking to school when the incident occurred and he wanted to show that it did not put him off. He proved it by walking home.”
The couple held a press conference at the Ecoba restaurant and bar in Mutiara Damansara, Damansara Perdana, here yesterday, attended by members of the local and international media.
Nayati was not present and before the event began, reporters were told not to ask any questions relating to the kidnapping as it would jeopardise police investigations. The kidnappers are still at large.
Janice said Nayati was surprisingly jubilant and bubbly on Thursday considering his ordeal. She, however, revealed he did not want to sleep alone that night and asked his mother to sleep with him.
"It has been the toughest week ever, but the support from our friends, neighbours, colleagues and well-wishers helped us cope with the ordeal. Words cannot describe how I felt when I hugged my son on Thursday morning," she said.
Sham said they were planning to take a short retreat to heal as a family.
The parents did not want to reveal much about what Nayati had told them on his six days of captivity.
"He was fed and was allowed to bathe," was all Sham revealed.
On whether the Moodliar family would continue to reside in Malaysia, Sham said it was a beautiful country and they had no plans moving elsewhere.
"This entire week had not only been a story of Nayati's kidnap. It has been a story of compassion, courage and love which highlighted the goodness inherent in everyone.
"The support and effort that everyone put in have been simply remarkable."
Sham also thanked the police, saying they had kept their promise to prioritise Nayati's safety.