JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA: After 11 years of holding on to a terrible secret, a 17-year-old girl gathered the courage to tell her mother that her stepfather had allegedly molested and raped her as a child.

The victim claimed that she was forced to perform oral sex on the 44-year-old suspect when she was about six years old and that she was raped twice five years ago, when she was 12, at their home in Kulai.

The suspect allegedly committed the offences whenever the victim's mother was not at home.

The revelation came to light when the victim's mother started divorce proceedings against the suspect due to marital problems.

Kulai OCPD Supt Zulkefly Yahya who confirmed the case said that the victim disclosed to her mother the torture she suffered at the hands of the suspect.

The victim lodged a police report on Sunday.

"We arrested the suspect on Monday and are exploring all angles in the investigation," he said, adding that the suspect has since been remanded until April 19.

Supt Zulkefly said the victim has been sent to Sultanah Aminah Hospital for a medical check-up and doctors had discovered many tears in her private parts.

"The suspect, a hardware trader, has no past police records," he said.