Bangladeshi arrested over sexual abuse of 16-year-old girl

Police have arrested a 42-year-old Bangladeshi man on suspicion of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl on an island in southern Maldives.

Police said on Saturday that the case was reported on Friday and that the suspect was arrested the same day.

According to police, the report alleged that the 16-year-old girl had been subjected to sexual abuse. The investigation is continuing.

Local residents said the suspect had allegedly sexually abused the girl and offered her money in exchange for sexual acts.

Following reports of the incident, a group of residents gathered outside the island’s police station on Friday night.

Police have not disclosed the identity of the suspect, the island where the alleged incident occurred or further details about the case.

The arrest comes amid several reports of sexual offences involving children over the past two weeks.

Police statistics show that about 200 sexual offence cases have been reported so far this year.

Two cases were reported during the first four days of September, while 27 cases were recorded in August.

A total of 273 sexual offence cases were reported to police last year.

The identity of the child and information that could lead to her identification have been withheld.