PENANG: Punters are cashing in on Shearwey Ooi Ying Ying's death by betting on numbers related to the tragedy.

One such combination - 1349 - was the second prize in Wednesday's Sport Toto draw.

'The number one represents the victim and according to the 3D dictionaries, 349 represents a drowning person,' said Philip, a punter.

According to earlier reports, Ying Ying's mother Jess Teh had claimed that the girl drowned in a bathtub.

The numbers 2729 and 7362 were the first- and second-prize winners in Wednesday's Magnum 4D draw.

As for the number 2729, it was reported in a Chinese daily that the suspects' ages were 27 and 29. As for 7362, the digit seven represents a girl (in the 3D dictionary) while 362 the Goddess of Mercy.

'Some people believe that children who passed away before the age of six are as pure as the deity,' Philip said.

Other combinations that were played were 249 and 2159.

'The number two represents the couple (suspects) while 49 and 159 were numbers printed on the female and male suspects' T-shirts the day they were brought to the Balik Pulau court to be remanded,' a punter noted.

'I think many punters are waiting for the family to announce the girl's funeral date,' another punter said.

A source from the gaming industry said the connection between the winning numbers and the tragedy was 'purely coincidental'.

Meanwhile, the toddler's family members continued to grieve and trade accusations.

At a news conference on Thursday, the toddler's paternal grandparents said they were upset that the family of Ying Ying's mother blamed their son for being an irresponsible husband.

Ying Ying's father, Ooi Eng Chew, is in the midst of divorcing his wife, Jess Teh, wich whom Ying Ying was staying when she met her death.

Last Friday, Ying Ying's mother Jess Teh, a sales executive, lodged a police report saying that Ying Ying had gone missing after she left the child outside her car near the Bayan Baru market while she went to pay her parking ticket. The next day, Teh gave a press conference to appeal for help to search for her daughter.

Teh and her boyfriend Ong Chee Leong, a former karaoke lounge manager, were arrested on Sunday when they turned up at the Bayan Lepas police station to give a statement.

Meanwhile, Eng Chew has told his family he was considering starting his life afresh overseas to forget about the tragedy.

His father Kean Choon, 52, said: 'His life has been dealt a severe blow. He has lost his only daughter.'

Kean Choon expressed regret that Eng Chew's in-laws had criticised Eng Chew, through the Chinese dailies, as being an irresponsible father.

'I am saddened that my son has to go through all this,' said Kean Choon.

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