NIBONG TEBAL: A woman was believed to have been suffocated to death after she was raped and sodomised by a man who broke into her home at Taman Seruling Emas, near here, early yesterday.
Police at the Sungai Bakap police station were alerted to the discovery of the 40-year-old victim under her bed hours after the incident.
The incident happened inside the room on the ground floor of the victim's double-storey house. The victim was a clerk at a furniture factory in Sg Baung, Sg Bakap.
Seberang Prai Selatan police chief Superintendent Lee Chong Chern said initial investigations revealed a friend of the victim had gone to her house as they had made an appointment to meet about 3pm yesterday.
Lee said when the 41-year-old woman arrived in front of the house, she saw a man leaving the victim's house on a motorcycle.
He said the friend then alerted the victim's older sister about the man.
He said the older sister then called up a 52-year-old male friend and asked him to check the victim's house.
"When he arrived at the victim's house, he saw the door was ajar. He then called the Sungai Bakap police station to ask for help to check the house.
"A sergeant, who arrived shortly later, accompanied him to check inside and the house was found to be in a mess.
"It was then that he discovered the victim under a bed in the room on the ground floor," he said today.
During questioning, the victim's 55-year-old neighbour told police he spotted a man leaving her house the same afternoon.
The neighbour managed to take down the motorcycle's registration plate, which he gave to police.
Lee said, based on information given, police later arrested a 29-year-old man, who had five previous records for criminal and drug offences.
"Based on the suspect's testimony, he had gone to the motorcycle owner's house at Kampung Wellesley about 6pm on Friday. Once there, they had jointly smoked syabu with another friend.
"About 2am yesterday, the suspect borrowed his friend's motorcycle for a ride at Taman Seruling Emas.
"About an hour later, the suspect stopped in the back lane of the victim's house. He climbed over the back wall into the victim's house. He subsequently opened the windows before gaining entry into the house.
"The suspect then went into the bedroom on the ground floor and found the victim sleeping, only in her shorts. He then raped and sodomised the victim," he added.
Lee said, during the attack, the victim had put up a fight and shouted for help.
He said the suspect then stuffed the victim's underwear into her mouth.
"As the victim continued to fight, the suspect covered her mouth with his hand. After a while, the victim stopped moving, believed to have died.
"Even after the victim had died, the suspect continued to rape and sodomise her several times.
"Later, he dragged the victim and hid her body under her bed.
"He then ransacked the house and took the victim's cell phone, cash and a locket," he added.
Lee said, according to the suspect's testimony, he left the victim's house about 2pm yesterday and returned the motorcycle to his friend before walking home to Taman Seruling Emas.
Later the same evening, the suspect rode another motorcycle with his younger sibling to hide in Changkat Sungai Jawi.
It was at this time that the suspect said he threw the victim's belongings into a nearby river.
Lee said the forensic team was still carrying out investigations at the scene and had so far collected 25 samples.
A post-mortem will be conducted after the Covid-19 test result has been obtained.