A 16-year-old schoolboy has been arrested on suspicion of raping a 15-year-old girl at a market in Kuala Terengganu.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said the suspect, who attends the same school as the girl, was arrested at about 11.30am on Wednesday after police received a report from the victim’s mother.
He said the girl’s mother was alerted by a security guard at the market, who had seen her daughter in a semi-naked state with a boy at the location.
“The victim later told her mother that she had been raped by the boy. She also admitted that she was in a relationship with the suspect,” Azli said.
The case is being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
Azli said police would apply for a remand order against the suspect at the Kuala Terengganu Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to facilitate further investigations.
He added that the Kuala Terengganu District Police Headquarters had opened six investigation papers involving sexual offences between Oct 1 and 14.
Azli also advised parents to educate their children about sexual harassment from an early age and monitor their daily activities to help protect them from sexual crimes.
