LAWAS: Police have obtained a week-long remand order against the third suspect arrested in connection with the alleged prostitution of a 14-year-old girl.
The remand order was granted when the wireman, 23, was produced before magistrate Keli Mareng at the District Office here today.
Earlier today, Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Dev Kumar confirmed that police arrested the third suspect last night in front of a restaurant in Jalan Sungai Trusan here at 9.30pm.
“Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the role of the third suspect in the case,” said Dev without elaborating.
It was learnt that the third suspect had claimed he was the uncle of the victim. It was also learnt that police would deploy a team to check the hotel, where the alleged rape took place.
“We want to check the hotel’s registration book on the night of the incident. This, perhaps, will help the investigation team to narrow down and locate the suspect,” sources told the New Straits Times.
The victim, who was accompanied by a village head, lodged a police report on Oct 8 claiming she was forced into having sex with an unidentified man.
She claimed she was forced by her mother and her employer, a karaoke centre operator, into having sex with the man for a payment of RM1,000 at a hotel here sometime in April.
The victim, who was school dropout, also claimed that she saw the man paying RM1,000 to the karaoke centre operator.
The victim’s mother and her employer, aged 30 and 45 respectively, were arrested the same day the report was lodged.
The two woman have been remanded for three days to facilitate police investigation into the case under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape and Section 43(1)(a) and (d) of the Child Act 2001.