TUMPAT – A 15-year-old girl who was severely beaten, raped and robbed while jogging on Wednesday morning remains traumatised and under hospital observation, as police deploy the K9 Unit to hunt for the suspect still at large.
Tumpat District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Khairi Shafie said the victim is currently receiving treatment at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu and remains under medical supervision.
"The victim is in a stable condition but still traumatised following the incident. She is also still under observation by doctors at the hospital," he said when contacted on Thursday.
In the incident at 11am, the teenager is believed to have been attacked while jogging and hit with a stick on the face, head and body before being raped and having her mobile phone stolen.
The victim had initially been jogging with her 10-year-old younger brother before they became separated and she was thought to have returned home.
The girl was later found in a bushy area near a drain in a severely injured and semi-conscious state by members of the public, who then informed her father, who had been searching for her because she had not returned after leaving to jog at 7am.
She was rushed to hospital for further treatment.
Khairi said police are intensifying efforts to trace the suspect, who remains at large, to assist in the investigation.
He said the K9 Unit has also been deployed to help track the suspect, while the investigation team is examining several leads obtained.
"We are still tracing the suspect and the K9 Unit is assisting in efforts to track and locate him. Members of the public who have any information relating to this incident are requested to come forward to assist the investigation by contacting the police immediately," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape and Section 394 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery.