A 28-year-old man has been arrested in Saratok, Sarawak, for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl who later became pregnant.
The case came to light after the girl’s mother took her to school to inform the management about the pregnancy.
The mother reportedly wanted her daughter to quit school and marry the suspect.
However, the school headmaster referred the matter to the District Education Office (PPD), which instructed that a police report be lodged as the girl was still underage.
Saratok district police chief Deputy Superintendent Mathew Manggie said preliminary investigations found that the suspect, who works as an oil palm plantation labourer, had known the girl since mid-2025.
He said they reportedly began a romantic relationship early this year, while the girl admitted to having sexual intercourse with the suspect three times in mid-June.
The girl reportedly discovered she was pregnant about a week before informing her mother on November 11.
Following the police report, a team from the Saratok District Criminal Investigation Division arrested the suspect at a longhouse in Kabong.
Mathew said the case is being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape.
