MELAKA: A 28-year-old Imam has been remanded for seven days for allegedly sodomising and molesting a male teenager over a period of three years inside a mosque here.

The remand order against the Thai suspect was issued by Magistrate Uthman Abd Ghani when he was produced at the Magistrate Court at Ayer Keroh here on Wednesday (April 23).

The remand until April 29 is to facilitate investigations under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

According to sources, the case surfaced after the 13-year-old victim contacted his 35-year-old mother on April 14, expressing a desire to return to Kuala Lumpur to live with her.

It was during the conversation that the victim narrated his ordeal to his mother of being sexually abused by his religious teacher, who was also the Imam, three years ago.

The first incident reportedly occurred at night in Aug 2022, while the victim was at a religious school in Perak.

It was claimed that the suspect had threatened the victim not to reveal the alleged sexual abuse.

The alleged abuse was believed to have continued after the suspect relocated the victim to a mosque in Bukit Rambai, here last year, to continue his studies.

However, sources disclosed that there were no educational activities and instead, the suspect forced the victim to stay together with him in a room within the mosque and allegedly turned the latter into a sex slave.

The victim also claimed he was repeatedly subject to sexual assault, including sodomy and indecent acts, which left him deeply traumatised.

The victim's mother lodged a police report here on April 17.

When contacted, Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Christopher Patit confirmed the case.