A Quran teacher in Bekasi regency was arrested for allegedly molesting his 15-year-old student, police said, with the crime taking place in the house of worship where he worked.
The suspect, who is identified by his initials UBA, is a caretaker at the mosque. On May 11, police said he picked up the victim at midnight and gave her IDR400K (US$27.98) and a prayer garb to convince her to come with him to the mosque.
“[The molestation] occurred in a room in the mosque, next to the lectern,” Kukuh Setio Utomo, who heads the Crime Investigation Unit at the Bekasi regency precinct, said yesterday.
The victim’s sister became suspicious when she came home an hour later without her underwear. Her family then found out about the alleged molestation and reported UBA to the police, leading to his arrest.
To the police, UAB confessed to molesting the victim five times on separate occasions previously, four of which took place at the mosque.
Under Indonesian law, UAB may face up to 15 years in prison for child molestation.
The victim now suffers from depression and often cries on her own, her sister said, especially when questioned about the molestation incidents.
