A 17-year-old male was charged on Monday in Ratanakkiri provincial court with detaining his teenaged neighbour for 13 days and raping her repeatedly, police there said yesterday.

Deputy police chief Phen Dyna said the girl’s family in Banlung town had filed a report when she went missing on February 11.

The girl, 17, was allegedly bound and drugged in the house of a boy who lived next door.

“The girl told me that the suspect went into her house and covered her mouth with his hand so she couldn’t shout for help, then he took her to his house to keep and rape her,” Phen Dyna said.

He claimed the suspect went on to rape her nine times, and forced her to eat a medicine that immobilised her and caused her to sleep.  

Phen Dyna said the girl was found when her uncle heard her yelling for help and broke into the suspect’s house.

“The girl looked pale because she only ate seven times during the 13 days,” he said, adding that the suspect had initially denied the accusations, butlater admitted the truth of the victim’s claims.

Hing Phan Sakunthea, director of the Ratanakkiri provincial referral hospital, said the victim had been discharged from hospital on Sunday.