Students raped in Manus

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TWO schoolgirls aged 17 and 12 were raped in separate incidents in Manus recently, police say.
Manus police commander Chief Insp David Yapu said in one of the cases, a step father entered the room of the 17-year-old victim while she was sleeping and allegedly tied a blanket over her mouth and raped her.
Police said the 17-year-old is a student at a secondary school.
Yapu added that this was the second time the incident occurred as the first incident occurred last October in Lorengau town.
Yapu said the offender who was a civil servant was arrested and charged with rape.
He will appear in Lorengau Committal Court this week.
In another incident, a 12-year-old female primary school student was walking home when confronted by a known offender.
Yapu said the offender allegedly forced her into the bushes, stripped off her clothes and raped her.
“As a result, the victim sustained bleeding from her private parts,” he said. “The parents reported the matter to the police.
“She was taken to Lorengau General Hospital for a medical examination.”
Chief Insp Yapu said police were still searching for the offender and urged the community of Lundret to help in bringing him in.
In another incident, police arrested a suspect for allegedly breaking into a house at a village in Lombrum and stealing K4,000.
The suspect is currently in custody as police complete their investigations.