MELAKA – Police have arrested two Singaporean brothers believed to be involved in abusing and sexually assaulting tahfiz students in Tg Minyak.
Melaka police chief Datuk Zainol Samah said the 40-year-old founder of the tahfiz centre and his brother, a 36-year-old hostel warden were arrested following six police reports.
“Six students at the centre aged between 13 and 15 lodged the reports at the Batang Tiga police station between 6.29pm and 9.13pm yesterday,” he said in a statement today.
He said the suspects were arrested at 1pm and 1.30pm at the Tg Minyak Tahfiz Centre today.
Zainol said three of the students were forced to perform oral sex on the first suspect, while the rest of them claimed that they were physically abused by the hostel warden who slapped, punched, stepped on and whipped them for not completing their duty to clean the centre on time.
These incidents were said to have occurred at the Tg Minyak and Alor Gajah centre as well as at a condominium in Klebang several times, he said, adding the victims claimed the last time it happened was on May 7.
“For the time being, the tahfiz centre is still operating as usual. The founder has a previous criminal record for committing physical sexual abuse and sodomy in 2019,” he said.
Zainol said the case is being investigated under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, adding police will apply remand orders for the suspects at the Ayer Keroh Court Complex tomorrow. – Bernama, May 12, 2023
