Cops nab petrol station worker for statutory rape

SIBU: A petrol station pump attendant was arrested Sunday evening over the suspected rape of a 15-year-old girl at his house in Sibu Jaya.

District police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said the 29-year-old suspect, who is married with three children, was nabbed following a report lodged by the girl’s father.

He said the girl’s father – a retired soldier – confronted his daughter after she disappeared from home for nearly a week, and was told by the Form 3 student that she was in an intimate relationship with the suspect.

“The girl initially left home on the night of Sept 24, telling her family she was going to meet up with some friends.

“When she did not return the following day, her brother lodged a police report over her disappearance,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

According to Stanley, the teenager failed to return home for the subsequent five days and that her whereabouts was only known after her brother learned that she was staying at the suspect’s house.

“The father immediately rushed over and after being told by his daughter that she was involved in an intimate relationship with the suspect, he proceeded to lodge a police report against the man for suspicion of rape,” he added.

The girl was later sent to Sibu Hospital for a medical examination, with police classifying the case under Section 376 of the Penal Code.