A 49-year old man allegedly accused of sexually abusing a five-year old Dalit boy was thrashed by the public before being handed over to the police in Salem.
The accused, Ravi, running a vegetable shop in Pethanaikenpalayam, took the boy, who was passing by the area, inside the outlet and sexually abused him last evening, police said.
The boy was rescued by the neighbours on hearing his cries. As the boy narrated his ordeal, the enraged public beat the accused who had to be admitted to the government hospital here and is under police custody.
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The sexual offender has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and also under the SC and the ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act, as the boy is a Dalit, police said.