Besides being beaten, the girl was believed to have been forced to swallow a cockroach and fed only plain rice and soy sauce.
The 36-year-old man, who is the boyfriend of the girl’s mother, was picked up here at 1am.
The girl was found with bruises all over her body, and is believed to have been beaten by the man using a wooden ruler at their house in Bukit Gambir here between Nov 1 and 5.
According to a source, the abuse was discovered last Monday when the girl’s mother took her to the Penang Hospital for medical treatment.
The doctor who attended to the girl later reported the matter to police, the source said.
When arrested, the suspect claimed he hit the girl because she was naughty and often told lies.
Timur Laut District Police Chief ACP Mior Faridalathrash Wahid, when contacted, confirmed the arrest.