SIBU: A determined father finally found his runaway 14-year-old daughter here after she was lured away by a youth a week ago.
The man had sought help from 100 residents of his longhouse community in Stapang – about an hour’s drive from here –to look out for his daughter gone astray after she left home with the youth for Sibu last week.
An ambush was laid after a week’s search when a man among the 100 learnt the whereabouts of the courting couple.
The man pretended he wanted to come to town to spend time with the couple so he asked the youth, aged 20, to take the girl out to meet him at a shopping complex yesterday morning.
The unsuspecting youth did not realise this was a trap and duly brought her to meet him.
While this was being planned, the girl’s father awaited in a car near the shopping centre. When the youth arrived on a motorcycle with his daughter as pillion, the father blocked the way and took them to the police station where he lodged a report.
The girl’s mother, fearing that the couple could have had an intimate relationship, lodged a report of rape against the youth who has since denied any intimate relationship with the under-aged girl.
Police have sent the couple to Sibu Hospital for a medical examination.
It is learnt the youth hails from the same village with the girl but from a different longhouse.