Police have recorded statements from three individuals including an award-winning secondary school principal over their involvement in the alleged sexual grooming of a male student in the state.

Johor police chief Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din said up till tonight, the principal and two witnesses had been called up to have their statements taken, after the issue went viral on social media recently.

“The investigation will continue with the recording of statements from other witnesses, and the evidence will be sent to the forensic lab for analysis,” he told Bernama, when contacted in Johor Bahru today.

The case is being investigated under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Kamarudin said so far, only one police report had been lodged on Thursday and this involved the principal.

Previously, Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching was reported to have said that the principal concerned had been transferred out of the school and placed at a relevant district education office while investigations were being undertaken by the ministry.

The issue came to light after an activist shared a post of the allegation on social media, including obscene messages which had been sent to students.

- Bernama