According to investigators, the 22-year-old man first approached a 25-year-old Myanmar woman at Bandar Baru Air Itam on his motorcycle at 10.30am yesterday.
He introduced himself as a police officer and demanded her to show his passport. The woman, who worked at a nearby restaurant, did not have her passport at the time.
The man, wearing a Penang Island City Council (MBPP) jacket, threatened to take her to the police station for not having a passport. The man said there would be no action taken against her if she followed him on his motorcycle.
The man then brought the woman to an empty unit of a 17th floor flat nearby and demanded her to strip naked. She then alleged the man had forced her to perform oral sex on him to avoid being jailed.
She told the police that she only agreed to his demands out of fear that she would suffer a worse fate at the hands of the suspect.
According to the police, the woman said she was also forced to give her gold earrings and necklace to the suspect, before they left the unit.
The game was up when an off-duty policeman, who is a resident of the same flat and happened to be passing by, stopped them and questioned the suspect.
The policeman, who suspected something was amiss, asked the man if he was a resident. At that time, the woman screamed and told the policeman that her valuables were stolen by the man.
The man was apprehended by the off-duty policeman, who called for backup before they were brought to the Bandar Baru Air Itam police station.
Northeast district police chief ACP Anuar Omar said the woman has been brought to the Penang Hospital for a check-up and the man has been remanded until Sept 3 for investigation.
Anuar said the suspect will be investigated under Section 377B of the Penal Code for committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature.