'From today, I no longer have a daughter,' said Mr Teh Tatt Beng, 52, at a packed news conference. 'I do not want such a daughter. It is like a pound of flesh that has been cut from my body.'

The temple caretaker was referring to his daughter Jess Teh, who is Ying Ying's mother and one of the two suspects detained by police in connection with the toddler's death.

Mr Teh appeared beside his wife Ong See Hwa, 51, who told reporters she broke down every time she saw a photo of her grandchild in the papers.

Mr Teh said he and his wife had looked after Ying Ying since she was born. 'She was very much part of our lives,' he said, between sobs.

Madam Ong said Ying Ying went to live with her mother only 3-1/2 months ago.

'Her boyfriend, who is jobless, was supposed to take care of Ying Ying when she was at work,' she said.

Apart from Jess Teh, police have also arrested her boyfriend Ong Chee Leong, 29, an ex-karaoke lounge manager.

Police believe they have solved the case in arresting Teh and her boyfriend.

Three-year-old Ying Ying was believed to have died on Thursday, and her remains burnt and later scattered in four places on Penang island.

Police yesterday confirmed three bones found at a Chinese cemetery were that of a child's. Forensic pathologist Bhupinder Singh found the bones to be from the neck and arm.

The bones, together with four other bone fragments and a piece of burnt clothing, will be sent to the chemist department today to determine if they belong to Ying Ying. Police have taken blood samples from Jess Teh and the toddler's father Ooi Eng Chew, 29, to match the DNA from the bones.

Mr Ooi, who arrived from China on Monday night, told the media separately that the death of Ying Ying, his only child, had left him both furious and heartbroken.

The businessman said he was in China sourcing for mobile-phone spare parts and accessories when he heard about the child's death.

'I will never forgive her if she has anything to do with Ying Ying's death,' he said, referring to his wife.

They are in the midst of divorce proceedings.

'If she did not want Ying Ying, she could have told me and given her to me. I am more than willing to look after her,' he said.

He added that he did not fight for custody of Ying Ying when the couple separated a year ago as he knew his in-laws - Mr Teh and Madam Ong - would take good care of her.

No charges have been levelled against Jess Teh, a sales executive, and her boyfriend. As they were taken to court on Monday for an extension of their detention, a crowd outside hurled abuse at them.

There has been local media speculation that Ying Ying drowned in a plastic bathtub in their rented apartment, while she was alone at home with her mother's boyfriend.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK