Minor girl suicide: Man held under POCSO Act

Thiruvananthapuram: A 20-year-old man was arrested for sexually molesting a minor girl who was found hanging in a religious study centre in Balaramapuram on the city outskirts, police said on Wednesday.

Hashim Khan, a native of Beemapally near here, was arrested and has been charged under Sections of the POCSO Act.

The 17-year-old girl's family members and the opposition BJP have raised suspicion over the incident and demanded a probe into it.

The post-mortem report revealed that the death was by suicide, but also found that the minor girl was subjected to sexual molestation, sources said.

"The post-mortem revealed that the girl was subjected to sexual assault six months ago. During further investigation, it was found that the accused had trespassed into her house and tried to abuse her some time ago," a police officer told PTI.

Khan was arrested on Tuesday, and he would be produced before a court today, he said.

The officer also made it clear that the investigation into the reasons that led to the suicide of the girl in the religious study centre is progressing.

The girl was found hanging in the study centre complex early this month.