MIRI: A 23-year-old man arrested in connection with the case of a mother who sold her 14-year-old daughter into prostitution, has confessed that he brought the girl to a hotel room.

However, he said he did not have sex with the girl after he found out – there in the hotel room – that she was his own niece!

It is not known why he did not recognise her at first.

Lawas district police chief Deputy Supt Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said the police have obtained an order from the magistrate's court to remand the man for seven days.

"The suspect admitted he had brought the girl to a hotel room.

"He said he did not have sex with her when he found out that she was his own niece," DSP Zainal told the media on Thursday.

The man was arrested in front of a restaurant in Lawas town at 9.30pm on Oct 9.

This came after police in Lawas arrested the 30-year-old housewife, who had allegedly sold off her own daughter as a prostitute to pay off her debts, at 2.15pm on Oct 8.

The case first came to light when the headman of the village where the housewife lives, brought the teenage girl to lodge a police report at 10.55am on Oct 8 after learning of her plight.

The girl had accused her mother of forcing her to provide sex.

The mother had allegedly collaborated with the female owner of a karaoke joint to sell the girl's "services" to pay off her debts.

The victim told police that a man had paid the karaoke owner RM1,000 and then raped her three times in a hotel.

Lawas police also arrested the karaoke owner at about 3pm on Oct 8.

The mother and karaoke owner are now being held at the Lawas police lockup.