COIMBATORE: The All Women Police Station in Gudalur arrested a 35-year-old Karate teacher for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old minor girl.
The man has been identified as Sabu Abraham of Selaivayal near Gudalur, police said.
Based on the complaint by the Class XI girl, the police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) and arrested Abraham in the wee hours of Wednesday.
In her complaint, the minor girl said that a few months ago, he had sexually assaulted her when she had gone for a karate class conducted in the Gudalur church premises. She recently revealed the incident to her mother.
The girl’s mother initially made a complaint to the church authority. However, the church authority did not take any action.
The girl's mother filed an FIR with the police alleging that a mob led by Sabu Abraham reached their house and assaulted her daughter for making the sexual assault complaint to the church authority. She said that her daughter and she were also threatened to withdraw the complaint. The duo was on Monday admitted to Gudalur Government Hospital for treatment.
Following the complaint, the police registered a case against the karate teacher under the POCSO Act on Tuesday. After a preliminary investigation, Abraham was arrested on Wednesday. He was produced before the Magistrate Court in the Nilgiris and later remanded in Coimbatore Central Prison.
The police have also registered another case against Sabu Abraham and seven others under IPC Section of 141 (unlawful assembly), 441 (trespassing), 320 (grievous hurt) and 503 (criminal intimidation). The police said that they were making efforts to nab the others involved in the incident.