IPOH: The Indonesian maid who was allegedly raped by former state executive councillor Paul Yong Choo Kiong had called the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur three times, asking to be rescued.
This was revealed by Riki Sapari, who works at the embassy's Labour Division's Complaints Section, during the hearing of the case against Yong at the High Court here today.
Riki said the victim rang the department's direct line as well as his mobile phone twice on July 8, 2019, desperately asking to be rescued.
"On that day about 11am, I received a phone call from a woman… she told me to save her as she had been raped by her employer.
"At that time, I could hear that she was crying, scared and in a panicked state. She repeatedly said 'save me, help me'.
"I told her to calm down. I spoke slowly so that I could hear her well," he said in reply to a question by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Jamil Aripin.
Riki said, not even a minute later, the victim called his mobile phone after he provided the number to her.
"She told me to come and save her because she was too scared. I advised her that she could go to the nearest police station.
"During the second call, I told (her) again that she should go to the police station immediately and that I had to report this matter to the higher ups before taking further action," he said.
Riki said the third time the woman called him, she sounded panicked and again begged him to rescue her.
"When I asked who she needed saving from, she said she was afraid of her employer," he said, adding that he immediately rang a police station here.
Riki asked police to check the authenticity of the report lodged by the woman, that she was raped at the said address.
"I also contacted an agency in Malaysia to go to the employer's home. I told them that the woman was scared and asked to be rescued.
"At about 2pm, I was informed by the agency that they had gone to the employer's house but she was not there. The agency lodged a police report over the case," he said.
Riki said that on July 10, 2019, he received a phone call from the police about 10am, informing him that the woman was at a protection centre.
Riki, who is the third prosecution witness, will continue his testimony when the trial continues tomorrow before Judge Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed.
The previous two witnesses were a police corporal and a constable, both photographers attached to the Ipoh police headquarters.