A 19-year-old youth was arrested here on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl child near Pazhugal in the district on Friday.
According to police, a seven-year-old girl from Parakundru, a remote village near Kaliyakkavilai on the interstate border in the district, was sexually assaulted by her neighbour Balu (name changed) (19), a construction labourer.
Though the parents of the victim came to know about the incident, they were not willing to lodge a complaint fearing for the future of their child. Meanwhile, the culprit had gone into hiding.
On Wednesday, the victim was admitted to the Kuzhithurai Government Hospital. Volunteers of the 1098 Childline, who came to know about the incident, visited the victim and recorded the statement of her parents.
They informed the police about the labourer’s act and a case was registered against him. Subsequently, the police launched a hunt to nab the accused.
On Friday, Balu, who was hiding in Kerala, was apprehended by policemen. He was brought to the district. The accused was produced before the Kuzhithurai court, which remanded him to judicial custody.