A 12-year-old girl who ran away from a religious school dormitory in Kuala Muda last Friday was raped and molested by two men shortly after leaving.
According to sources, the girl had slipped out of the dormitory around 2 a.m., saying she wanted to watch local motorcycle riders performing stunts nearby. While walking alone along a road in the Semeling area, she was approached by two men on motorcycles whom she did not know.
The suspects, aged 19 and 20, allegedly took the victim to a nearby oil palm plantation, where one of them raped her while the other molested her. The girl later returned to her school, located near the scene, and informed her teacher about what had happened.
Her teacher immediately lodged a police report.
Kuala Muda District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Hanyan Ramlan said both suspects were arrested around 8 a.m. the same day to assist in the investigation. One of them is unemployed, while the other works as a lorry attendant. Both are locals from the area.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 20-year-old suspect is believed to have raped the victim, while his 19-year-old accomplice molested her. The case is being investigated under Section 375(b) of the Penal Code for rape.
