A 16-year-old school dropout was raped several times by her employer over the past four months.

This had resulted in her getting pregnant. The girl is now carrying the 48-year-old suspect's child.

A police source said the victim's ordeal only recently came to light after she confessed to her mother, who then took her for a check-up at the hospital. The girl was first raped on July 26, after her employer's foodstall had closed for the day at 10pm.

When she confronted the man, he threatened to harm her if she told anyone. It was only early this month that the girl gathered enough courage to tell her mother of her ordeal and lodged a police report.

The suspect, who is married, was picked up from his house on Saturday.

The victim, who dropped out of school after Year Six, is the seventh of nine children.