KUANTAN (Bernama): A man evaded a police raid last Friday by abandoned a lorry containing 7,400 cartons of contraband cigarettes of various brands with an estimated value of RM1.11mil along the main road near Kampung Padang here.

       Pahang police chief Datuk Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the abandoned lorry was discovered by the Kuantan Region Three Marine Police Force during their raid at 6.50am last Friday following a public tip off.

       "The lorry was parked in an area near some bushes and the suspect, who noticed the presence of the police, fled and left the vehicle unlocked,” Ramli said, adding that investigations revealed that the lorry used a fake registration number that belonged to a lorry of a plastic factory in Tebrau, Johor.

       In a separate development, Ramli said rape cases this year had risen to 94 as of this October, compared to 84 cases for the same period in 2020.

       Out of this year’s total, 21 cases involved incest, while four were gang rapes.

       "Also, 89 cases this year involved teenagers under 19 years, with the majority starting from consensual sexual relations at either the victim's or suspect's home, after getting to know each other on social media," he said. - Bernama