Mother Waits 26 Months As Authorities Fail To Recover Child

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Thevitthra Viswanathan, mother of 4-year-old Krisha Kannan, has been waiting for her daughter to be returned to her after the child was allegedly taken away by her father, Kannan Rajaratnam, in direct defiance of multiple Malaysian court orders. - Courtey picKUALA LUMPUR: For more than 26 months, a mother has lived in a world where every sunrise begins with hope and every night ends with torment.
Thevitthra Viswanathan, mother of 4-year-old Krisha Kannan, has been waiting for her daughter to be returned to her after the child was allegedly taken away by her father, Kannan Rajaratnam, in direct defiance of multiple Malaysian court orders.
Despite rulings from the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court affirming Thevitthra's sole custody — along with explicit court instructions to the police to recover the child — enforcement has stalled.
The mother continues to live in unbearable uncertainty, saying, "Every day feels like another day her child slips further away".
Her lawyer, R. Renuga Ramayah, is now openly questioning the apparent inaction of law enforcement authorities, including police and Interpol NCB Malaysia, calling it "a catastrophic failure to protect a Malaysian child."
"This mother has lost her only child for more than two years.
"Every second is agony. She has done everything the law requires. The courts have done their part. Why hasn't the child been returned?" she told the New Straits Times.
According to High Court records, the custody conflict began in early 2023 after the couple separated.
Interim access orders were issued, requiring that the child remain in Penang due to her very young age.
However, on Sept 2, 2023, during an access session supervised under court conditions, Kannan allegedly took the child without consent and brought her to Selangor, violating the court's direction that the child not be taken out of Penang.
He later gave assurances that he would return the child. Instead, on Nov 5, 2023, he allegedly took Krisha out of Malaysia, even though the mother still held the child's original passport.
Evidence later surfaced showing that Kannan had lodged a false police report and succeeded in obtaining a new passport for the child before leaving the country.
The Shah Alam High Court issued several key orders, including an injunction on Nov 21, 2023, preventing Kannan from removing the child from Penang.
Further directions followed throughout 2023 and 2024, requiring Kannan to return the child.
On May 17, 2024, the High Court awarded Thevitthra sole custody, care, and control of the child, allowing only supervised access for the father.
The Court of Appeal struck off Kannan's appeal in May 2025, and in September 2025, the Federal Court dismissed his application to reinstate the appeal, affirming the High Court's position and imposing RM50,000 in costs.
Yet despite these clear rulings, Krisha remains missing.
Renuga said, unlike the Indira Gandhi case — where authorities repeatedly claimed they could not locate the missing child — this case was supported by clear evidence of the child's overseas location.
According to documents sighted by the NST, the Immigration Department cancelled Krisha's Malaysian passport after receiving the recovery order.
Police also wrote in August this year, confirming they would execute the recovery order, but no action has followed.
UAE residence visas have been issued for Kannan, Krisha and other family members.
Travel records also showed Kannan's family members flew to Dubai on Oct 17, staying with him and the child before returning on Oct 27 and Oct 30.
Renuga said that despite a High Court order instructing police to detain Kannan's family members currently in Malaysia to assist with the investigation, no enforcement has taken place.
Letters sent by Renuga to the inspector-general of police, Interpol Malaysia, and relevant authorities, including one on Nov 12, remain unanswered.
"Despite the valid court orders, Interpol NCB Malaysia has not issued a Yellow Notice for the missing child.
"Police's letter acknowledged they would execute the court's order.
"Now that we know the child is in Dubai — with documentary proof — who is responsible for failing to bring her home?" she asked.
As days turn into years, and official silence deepens, the desperation only grows.
For now, Krisha remains in Dubai — far from home, far from her mother, and far from the protection that Malaysian law says she is entitled to.
And every day, Thevitthra waits. She waits for the knock on the door. She waits for the call. She waits for her daughter.
Every second is another second she fears she will never get back. - NST

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