MELAKA, Oct 11: Four teenage students sitting for the SPM examination next month have been remanded for six days for police investigations after allegedly raping a female student in school last week.
Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said the remand order against all 17-year-old suspects was issued by senior assistant registrar of the Melaka Magistrate’s Court, S.R. Arthana.
“The remand of all the suspects begins today until Oct 16 for the case to be investigated under Section 375B of the Penal Code for gang rape. The case involves a 15-year-old victim,” he said in a statement today.
Previous media reports said that the gang rape occurred around 2.50 pm on Oct 2 in a classroom at a school in Alor Gajah. The incident unfolded when the victim returned to the classroom on the third floor to retrieve Science project materials that she had left behind.
The victim is believed to have been dragged into the classroom before being raped by two suspects in turns while two of their other friends witnessed and recorded it using their mobile phones.
The incident came to light after the victim’s mother received information from a school teacher about the video being circulated and subsequently lodged a police report.
The case has sent shock waves sparking rapid reactions, including from former Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin, who urged the Ministry of Education (MOE) to provide an explanation for the ‘extremely serious incident’.
In Sungai Petani, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek requested cooperation from relevant ministries to act immediately to stop the circulation of the purported rape video.
“We asked the relevant ministry to take action so this issue does not continue to spread because it involves schoolchildren. The public needs to understand that this case involves minors who must be protected,” she said after officiating a handover ceremony, in liaison with an Ambangan Heights project, at SMK Bandar Baharu Sungai Lalang today.
Fadhlina said the Form 3 victim is currently seeking psychosocial support and is still receiving hospital treatment.
“The state education director has been ordered to take immediate action to render support to the students and to improve security (at school),” she said.
“As we know, schools have to face exams and operate as usual. An internal investigation will be held at the ministry (MOE) and tomorrow I will go down to Melaka to handle this issue immediately,” she said. — BERNAMA