A series of horrific gang rapes, including o­ne in which the victim was eight-months pregnant, have caused concern in Malaysia, local media reported today.

In the latest attack, the 25-year-old pregnant woman was waiting for her husband to pick her up from work in Penang early Wednesday when four men, believed to be Bangladeshis, dragged her to a deserted spot and raped her, The Star reported.

The traumatised woman was found by her husband in a semi-conscious state and has been hospitalised, the daily said. Police have detained two foreigners over the incident.

In Malacca, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by her boyfriend and seven of his friends last Saturday.

In Kuala Lumpur, an 18-year-old girl who befriended several youths at a shopping mall and a nightclub was taken o­n a terror ride and gang-raped at a cemetery several days ago.

Unrelated cases

She was also robbed of cash and valuables. The girl later struggled to a main road and was taken to a police station by a passer-by.

The teenager was the third to have been gang-raped in Kuala Lumpur in recent weeks, the daily said.

The other cases involved two 14-year-olds, o­ne who was raped in a car park and the other under a tree in a secluded spot in the city centre.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Dell Akbar Khan said the three cases were a rare occurrence and not the work of the same group.

"We do not have a gang of serial rapists running loose in the city," he was quoted as saying, adding that police would step up patrols in isolated spots. AFP