Teenager brutally beaten, robbed and raped while jogging with brother

TUMPAT - A 15-year-old girl endured a horrific ordeal after she was brutally assaulted, robbed and raped by an unidentified man while out jogging during the Awal Muharram public holiday on Wednesday.

The victim had left her home at 7am to go for a jog in the Palekbang area with her 10-year-old brother.

According to the victim's 74-year-old grandmother, Rokiah, the siblings became separated during their run when the younger brother grew tired and fell behind.

Unable to find his sister, the boy assumed she had already returned home and headed back alone.

Concerns grew when the teenager failed to return, prompting her 50-year-old father to launch a search.

At 11am, members of the public discovered the victim lying semi-conscious in a bushy area near a canal.

Tumpat District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Khairi Shafie said that initial investigations reveal the suspect hit the victim repeatedly on her face and head with a wooden stick.

The suspect then allegedly raped the teenager before fleeing the scene with her mobile phone.

The victim's father was alerted to the discovery shortly before noon.

The teenager, described by her family as an obedient daughter and the second of three siblings, sustained severe injuries to her face, head and body.

She was initially rushed to Tumpat Hospital before being transferred to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu for specialist treatment.

"Our entire family is in complete shock over this devastating incident. We have full faith in the police investigation and hope the perpetrator is swiftly captured and brought to justice," Rokiah told reporters on Thursday.

Khairi said the case is currently being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape and Section 394 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery.

Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding the incident to contact their nearest police station or reach out directly to the investigating officer, Inspector Zulazri, at 011-11486922 to assist with the ongoing investigation.