THREE teenagers have been remanded for one week as police investigate the alleged rape of a schoolgirl in Merotai, in an incident that has reportedly left the victim suffering from severe emotional distress due to ongoing harassment.
Tawau District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Jasmin Hussin stated that the three suspects, aged between 15 and 16, were apprehended by a team from the Bombalai Police Station at the Merotai Police Post compound at approximately 6:50 pm yesterday.
The arrest was executed less than two hours after the victim's mother filed a police report at 4:43pm.
The authorities were alerted to the ordeal after the Form Three student confided in her school counsellor, who subsequently informed the victim's mother.
According to the official police statement, initial investigations indicate that the incident occurred last Sunday when the primary suspect, a Form Five student, took the victim to a house by car, where the rape allegedly took place.
The other two suspects were apprehended on suspicion of complicity in the matter.
Beyond the initial assault, the victim alleged that she had been subjected to significant emotional distress, claiming that friends of the suspects had been shaming and taunting her with lewd remarks at school following the incident.
The three suspects were brought before Magistrate Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin at the Tawau Magistrate’s Court today, where a seven-day remand order was granted, keeping them in custody until next Wednesday to facilitate further investigation. - April 23, 2026
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