KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — Police have arrested a man in his 20s for the suspected rape of a 14-year-old girl, after the pair were found together in a hotel room during a raid by the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) last week.

Muar District Police Chief ACP Raizmukhliz Azman Aziz confirmed the arrest in a statement yesterday. He said the investigation began after a post about the JAINJ enforcement operation went viral on Instagram.

The raid occurred at approximately 7.55am on March 11, following a public tip-off about suspicious activity at a local hotel.

“The raid found a man in his 20s together with a girl believed to be approximately 14 years of age inside a hotel room under suspicious circumstances,” Raizmukhliz stated.

He said checks revealed the two were not married or related (mahram).

Both were initially detained by JAINJ for investigation under Section 27 of the Johor State Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment for the offence of khalwat (close proximity).

However, Raizmukhliz explained that the case was handed over to the police after initial investigations confirmed the girl was an underage child.

“Following this, police have opened an investigation paper pertaining to the crime of rape,” he said.

The case is now being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code. If convicted, the perpetrator faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years and may also be liable to caning.