Jakarta – A female junior high school student in West Tanjung Jabung, Jambi, was allegedly locked up and raped multiple times by her own tutor over the course of 20 days.
West Tanjung Jabung Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Guntur Saputro said the police had arrested the tutor, identified only as AG.
"We have taken him into custody. We've also taken the victim home," Guntur said on Saturday evening as quoted by tribunnews.com, adding that the perpetrator was still being questioned.
Guntur said a preliminary investigation revealed that the 16-year-old victim had been a student of AG's private learning course, as schools remained closed because of the ongoing COVID-19 emergency.
AG had allegedly abused his pupil's trust by asking her to come with him to a local hotel, where he reportedly sexually abused her for the first time, Guntur said.
After the hotel incident, AG allegedly abducted the victim and locked her up in his private residence for 20 days, he said.
The victim was unable to reach out to her family because AG had confiscated all means of communication.
"The victim's phone was confiscated. She was afraid that she would be hurt if she resisted [AG's advances]," Guntur said.
Distraught by their daughter's sudden disappearance, her parents then reported the case to the authorities.
To investigators, AG insisted that the multiple instances of sexual intercourse with the victim had been consensual, Guntur added. However, the police suspect that the victim was pressured into obeying AG.
He called on parents to be present during their children's online schooling and supervise their everyday activities during the quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Don't let what happened to the victim befall other children," Guntur said. (rfa)