NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRL RAPED; FOREIGNER ARRESTED

Nine-year-old girl raped; foreigner arrested

KOTA KINABALU Oct 29, 2011: A 22-year-old male foreigner has been arrested by the police for allegedly raping a nine-year-old girl here recently.

City police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Sofi Zakaria (pic right) said, the incident was alleged to have taken place on Sept 30 around 1pm at Kampung Salut in Menggatal.

“A police report was lodged by the one of the victim’s family members on Oct 7 and acting on the report and information gathered, police arrested the suspect on Oct 18 from near the area,” he told reporters at a press conference at the City police headquarters in Karamunsing here yesterday.

According to Ahmad Sofi, police have gathered overwhelming evidence to charge the suspect who is being investigated into under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape.

Under the law, the charge carries with it a jail term of between five and 20 years and be liable to whipping, upon conviction.

In an unrelated case, three local women were detained by police for employing foreign workers without proper documents.

Ahmad Sofi said the arrests were made at a beauty saloon in the Sinsuran complex on Oct 27 at around 4.30pm.

“During the raid, two foreign women, aged 25 and 29 years old, believed to be the employees of the beauty saloon, were also detained,” he said, adding that investigation revealed that the women do not possess any proper documentation to work in the country,” he added.

Ahmad Sofi said the three local women, aged between 44 to 59 years old, believed to be the owners of the beauty saloon, would be investigated under Section 55 (B) of the Immigration Act, 1959/1963, while the two foreign women have been detained to facilitate investigations under Section 39 (b) of the Immigration Regulations, 1963.