Man arrested under Pocso Act in Pothencode

T’puram: Pothencode police on Friday arrested a 40-year-old man under Pocso Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.The accused, a native of Pothencode, was arrested after police recorded the survivor’s statement.

Police said the alleged incident took place on Wednesday afternoon.According to police, the accused, who lives alone, allegedly called the girl to his house. A neighbour reportedly grew suspicious after noticing him shutting the front door after the girl entered the house. The neighbour is said to have confronted him, following which the girl left through the back door and returned home.On noticing his daughter returning from the accused’s house, the girl’s father allegedly confronted the accused and later assaulted him with a wooden plank.

The man sustained serious injuries, including a fracture to his leg and injuries to his nose, and was admitted to Thiruvananthapuram MCH for treatment.Police said the incident remained undisclosed initially, as both families allegedly attempted to keep the matter under wraps. However, the matter came to light after authorities at the MCH informed police about the injured man undergoing treatment.Following a preliminary inquiry and recording the statement of the survivor, police registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the Pocso Act and arrested him.

A separate case was registered in connection with the assault on the accused, and the girl’s father was taken into custody. Police said further investigation is under way to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident and gather additional evidence.