Man, 40, Sexually Assaults Sleeping Minor On Train In Kerala, Arrested: Cops

A six-year-old girl was "sexually assaulted" by a man while she was travelling with her grandfather on the compartment floor of the Palaruvi Express from Kerala to Tamil Nadu, police said.

The accused, a 40-year-old man from Kollam, has been arrested in connection with the incident, they added.

He was remanded to 15 days' judicial custody on Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday in the general compartment of the Palaruvi Express, on board which the girl and her grandfather were returning to their native place in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, police said.

"The family had come for a pilgrimage to the Edathua Church and was returning home to Tenkasi when the incident occurred," an officer of the Punalur railway police station said.

The accused allegedly moved the sleeping girl from the compartment floor to his seat and assaulted her there, the officer said.

"The act was allegedly recorded by a woman sitting in a nearby seat, who also raised an alarm. By then, the train had entered Tamil Nadu, and the accused got off at Sengottai," the officer added.

Subsequently, statements of the girl and her parents were recorded, a photograph of the suspect was obtained, and an investigation was launched.

The accused, who is employed at a poultry shop, was arrested in Kollam on Friday and booked under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.

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