SEREMBAN: A 65-year-old man who lured a 12-year-old girl into engaging in sexual acts with him by promising to buy her all that she desired was arrested near Gopeng, Perak, on Tuesday.
The man had befriended the girl, who lives not far from his house, barely three months ago.
It was not until a video of him molesting the girl in his car went viral on social media did the victim’s family realise she had been sexually exploited.
The suspect, a lorry driver, was ambushed and nabbed by police on the North-South Expressway at about 9.30pm on Tuesday.
Police had launched a manhunt for him after the victim’s 49-year-old mother lodged a report earlier that day on learning of the three-minute-10-second footage.
Negri Sembilan CID chief ACP Wan Rukman Wan Hassan said the suspect was on his way to Padang Besar to deliver goods when he was arrested.
He said initial investigations revealed that the suspect had befriended the Year Six student and taken her out to Seremban town on three occasions since last month when her family was not home.
Wan Rukman said the suspect had lured her with food and other items before taking advantage of her.
He said in the latest incident, the man had molested her in his car at a carpark and captured the act on video with his cellphone.
Angry netizens posted photos of the suspect on the social media and urged police to apprehend the man whom they claimed was a member of a notorious gang.
It is also learnt that the suspect’s sons, who are in their 30s, had lodged police reports after being threatened by unknown individuals.
