Man arrested in Johor after viral post alleges sexual abuse of 12-year-old pupil

“JOHOR BAHRU, May 22 — Police have arrested a 28-year-old man following a widely circulated social media post alleging the sexual abuse of a schoolgirl in Seri Alam near here. Acting Johor police chief Deputy Commissioner Hoo Chuan Huat said authorities detected the viral Facebook post under the account “Mohd Fadli Salleh” yesterday. “Police then received a report at 9pm yesterday from the victim's 37-year-old mother, who claimed that the incident occurred last year in the Seri Alam area. “Acting on information, a team from the Seri Alam district police headquarters Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the suspect at 10.30pm on the same day,” he said in a statement today. Hoo said a drug screening conducted on the suspect returned negative for narcotics abuse, while checks showed he had no prior criminal record. He added that investigators had initiated a remand application against the suspect under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) at the Johor Baru court today. Police have classified the case under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which criminalises physical sexual assault against a child where an offender, for a sexual purpose, touches any part of a child’s body. The offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction. Yesterday, police said they were investigating allegations of sexual abuse involving a primary school teacher in Masai near Pasir Gudang. Based on the widely circulated social media post, the 12-year-old pupil had allegedly admitted to school authorities that she was involved in a sexual relationship with a male teacher at the school. The allegations sparked public concern after complaints involving the teacher were reportedly lodged with police, education authorities and the Public Complaints Bureau since last year. The suspect was later identified as a teacher’s assistant in his 20s who had previously been temporarily reassigned before returning to active teaching duties.

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