COIMBATORE: A 23-year-old man was arrested for molesting a three-year-old girl at Rathinapuri in the city on Friday.
According to police, R Vignesh (23), a resident of Periyar Nagar, Ambedkar Colony near Rathinapuri, was a habitual drunkard. Unable to bear his drinking habit, his wife separated from him around seven months ago.
On Saturday, when Vignesh was consuming alcohol, he noticed the daughter of his neighbour standing alone near his house and there was no one in the vicinity too. The girl’s father, a 36-year-old driver was away on work, while her mother was attending to some domestic chore inside the house.
Turning the situation to his advantage, Vignesh allegedly convinced the girl and took her inside the house.
Then, Vignesh reportedly bit the lips of the girl. The girl unable to bear the pain started shouting and crying.
On hearing the screams of the three-year-old, locals rushed into the house of Vignesh and apprehended him. Subsequently, Vignesh was handed over to the Rathinapuri police by locals.
Police booked him under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) and other sections of the IPC, including criminal intimidation. The accused has been remanded to custody and investigations are on.