In the midnight incident, the woman, who was home alone, was awakened and saw a person who she did not know already standing in front of her. The man told her not to make any noise.

The man asked the victim to let him have sex with her as he had not done it for a long time.

The woman, however, refused to do so and tried to fight off the suspect but failed. The suspect raped her and fled soon after.

Tuaran police chief Mohd Hamizi Halim, who confirmed the incident, said the woman lodged a report last night.

“The woman, who did not sustain any injuries, has been referred to the Women and Children’s Hospital in Likas here.

“Efforts are under way to locate the suspect,” he said, adding the probe is framed under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape.