A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man she knew while walking home from a wedding celebration at a plantation workers’ housing compound in Tawau district last Sunday, police said.
The attack occurred at approximately 11 p.m. A report was lodged by the victim’s stepfather at around 12:55 a.m. Monday after his stepdaughter informed him she had been sexually assaulted.
According to Tawau district police chief Assistant Commissioner Jasmin Hussin, the victim alleged that she was stopped and dragged into the suspect’s home as she made her way back from the kenduri. The suspect reportedly used a piece of cloth to cover her mouth before raping her.
Following the report, a police team from Bombalai Police Station, together with members of the Sabah Softwood Berhad Auxiliary Police, launched an immediate operation to locate the suspect. A foreign national in his 20s, described as a plantation labourer, was arrested at approximately 12:10 a.m. in front of the workers’ housing compound.
Several items believed to have been used during the assault were seized as evidence, including a shirt, a pair of trousers, and a mattress.
The case is being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape.
Jasmin urged the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report any suspicious behaviour to police in order to safeguard the safety of themselves and their neighbours.
