The All Women Police Station (AWPS), Coimbatore east, on Saturday arrested a 36-year-old man on charge of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.
The police said A. Manikandan, a native of Cumbum in Theni district who had been working as an ambulance driver in Coimbatore, was arrested based on the complaint lodged by the girl’s parents.
The accused, according to the police, used to park the ambulance at a place close to the girl’s residence and he became close to her. They exchanged garlands at a temple on June 30, 2021 after which he sexually assaulted her on several occasions.
The parents of the girl lodged a complaint with the police stating that their daughter was missing. Though the police managed to rescue the girl on July 2, 2021 and hand her over to parents, Manikandan remained at large.
A team headed by AWPS inspector A. Dowlathnisha arrested Manikandan on Saturday for offences under Section 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage etc.,) of the Indian Penal Code and 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The accused was produced before the special court for POCSO cases and he was remanded in judicial custody.
