BACHOK: Kelantan recorded a worrying trend of rape cases this year involving minors and school-going students as young as 13 years old, says Kelantan police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Shafien Mamat.

       DCP Shafien said 51 rape cases were reported from January to July compared to 39 cases in the same period last year.

       He said investigations revealed that those involved met through social networking sites such as Facebook or through WhatsApp.

       He said this to reporters after a working visit to the newly upgraded Jelawat police station here yesterday, adding that between January and July this year, 16 rape cases were reported in Kota Baru alone compared to only five cases in the same period last year.

       Additionally, a total of 14 incest cases were recorded during the same period this year compared to 15 cases last year.

       “Regarding cases involving minors between the ages of 13 and 16, we hope that parents will always monitor their children’s movements wherever they are, even when they are at home,” he added.

       He said in some cases, victims were raped in their own homes or when they were at the suspects’ homes when there were no parents around, adding that in most cases, police managed to detain the suspects as they were known to the victims.

       The Jelawat police station began its operations yesterday, led by a sergeant major and 15 police personnel. — Bernama