MACHANG: Kelantan police said the number of rape and molest cases marked a slight increase in the first five months of this year.
Kelantan acting police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said a total of 76 sexual crimes were recorded by the police between January and last month.
"During the same period last year, we recorded 84 sexual crime cases, while during the whole of last year, a total of 224 cases were recorded," he told reporters after witnessing the handing over of the district police chief's duties between the outgoing acting chief Superintendent Mohamad Rusli Mat and Deputy Superintendent Mohamad Zahir Abdullah here today.
Zaki said sexual crimes, including rape and incest, in the state would become more serious if they were left unchecked.
"We believe that if no immediate action is taken, the issue will become more serious as a majority of the victims are those below 18," he added.
Zaki urged the public as well as parents to play their roles by informing the police if such cases occured.
"At the school level, we have teachers who conduct counselling to help us in handling this matter.
"The state government also helps the state police in handling this issue especially among teenagers, including schoolchildren," he said.
Last week, two sexual crimes were reported in Kelantan leading to the arrest of a 36-year-old religious school teacher and a 21-year-old farmer.
The teacher of the school in Kuala Krai was arrested for allegedly molesting his 14-year-old student several times in 2020 and last year.
The farmer was detained for allegedly committing incest on his 13-year-old younger sister at Kampung Beta Hulu in Kadok several times since early this year.