Raped during MCO: Cops nab stepfather after victim confides in teacher

 

A stepfather who allegedly raped his stepdaughter during the movement control order (MCO), a time when schools were closed and people were asked to stay home, has been arrested after the victim confided in her school counsellor.

Petaling Jaya district police chief Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said police arrested the 41-year-old man on Wednesday, a day after a police report was lodged.

Nik Ezanee said the victim was afraid to tell her mother and only confided in her counsellor, who is also a teacher at her school, on Sept 14. A police report was lodged on Sept 15.

The country went into lockdown on March 18 after the number of Covid-19 cases spiked. Schools began reopening in stages in July under an easing of the lockdown after the pandemic was brought under control.

Nik Ezanee said the stepfather allegedly raped the victim beginning 2019 and continued to do so during the MCO at a Petaling Jaya house.

"The victim was traumatised and suffered from depression, she was afraid of telling her mother," he said in a statement today. 

The stepfather was remanded for seven days and is being invested under Section 376B of the Penal Code, he added. 

Section 376B concerns the punishment for incest and carries a sentence of between 10 and 30 years in prison and whipping.

Police have also summoned a number of individuals to facilitate the investigation.

"The victim has been referred to a hospital for medical examination," Nik Ezanee said.

He urged anyone with information about the case to contact the police at 03-79662222.- Mkini