NAGAPATTINAM: The Nagapattinam police on Saturday night arrested a 28-year-old man of Karaikal and remanded him in judicial custody on charges of sexually assaulting a 40-year-old widow in the backyard of her house and attempting to assault her minor daughter on Friday night. The accused sustained injuries in the right foot and left arm while “trying to escape”, following which he was treated in a hospital before being sent to prison on Sunday.
The accused has been identified as K Muthukumar of Karaikalmedu in Karaikal.
Sources said, the woman along with her daughter, who is in class 12, was residing in a village near Velankanni. The woman was making a living by grinding flour and selling it.
On Friday night, as the woman was entering her house compound, Muthukumar, who was stalking her, jumped over the wall and grabbed her. The accused assaulted her and threatened her with murder if she raised an alarm. He then sexually assaulted her. As the woman lay unconscious, he noticed her daughter sleeping inside the house and entered it intending to assault her as well. The girl, however, noticed Muthukumar and raised an alarm. He pushed her away and escaped, sources said. Neighbours rushed to the scene and took both of them to hospital.
After registering a case, special teams were constituted to nab the accused. On Saturday night, they tracked down Muthukumar near Velankanni. While trying to detain him, he tried to escape and in the attempt sustained injuries in the limbs, sources added.
SP Harsh Singh said, “The suspect is a vagabond who did odd jobs. He has some cases related to assault and theft pending against him in Karaikal. We suspect that he is a habitual offender.” Velankanni station inspector J Vichitra Mary said he has also been booked under Sections 7 and 8 of the Pocso Act as well.