KOTA BARU, MALAYSIA - An 11-year-old who was kidnapped and raped by an ex-convict managed to convince him to take her home by crying and pleading with him. He did. And was promptly arrested.

The girl, who was held for 20 hours, said she told the suspect she was an only child and came from a poor family.

"I cried and cried all through the night pleading with the man to send me home," she told The Star here at her home yesterday.

The suspect kidnapped the victim on Friday evening, by forcing her to ride pillion on his motorcycle, about 500m from her home near here.

She said the suspect was convinced by her story and dropped her at the doorstep of her house. She then got her father and neighbours to nab the man.

In relating the incident in detail, the Year Five pupil said the suspect took her to a house in Ketereh about 40km from here.

"I know that I was brought there because I saw a signboard that read Sekolah Ketereh.

"I started crying throughout the night and I was glad when the suspect told me that he would send me home. But he warned me not to say anything to my parents or police," said the victim, who immediately alerted her father who was home when she entered the house.

State CID chief ACP Mazlan Lazim who confirmed the incident said police was investigating the case under Section 363 and Section 376 of the Penal Code for kidnap and rape respectively.

He added that the suspect, a former convict with previous housebreaking cases, was arrested behind a convenience store by residents at Padang Tembak at 11.30am yesterday.

"We are still looking into the motive of the kidnap. Based on preliminary investigations, the girl was said to have been raped," he said.

ACP Mazlan said the suspect had been detained at the Pengkalan Chepa police station for further questioning.

The victim's 43-year-old carpenter father said he was working when he was informed that his daughter was kidnapped.

"I am glad that my daughter is alive and well, I thank God that she is safe," he said.

The Star/Asia News Network