The Salem city police in Tamil Nadu have arrested a 25-year-old youth under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly kidnapping and sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl under the pretext of marriage. The pair had fled the city and police caught them in Salem on Tuesday, February 13, by tracking down the man’s mobile number. The girl has now been sent to a children's home.

According to police, the arrested man was identified as Sadhasivam of Krishnagiri. He was employed in Chennai and befriended the Class IX student when she used to go to school. On January 25, the girl left for school but did not return home. Following this, the girl’s mother filed a police complaint after she found that some of the girl's clothes too had gone missing from home.

Disclosing further details, a police officer said, "In her complaint, the woman said the girl was close to a youth and she suspected him of kidnapping her. We then traced the youth’s mobile network and found the couple in Salem. We brought them to Chennai."

Sadhasivam was then booked under Sections 366 of the IPC and 5(l) and 6 of the POCSO Act. The girl was sent for a medical test and is currently at a children's home. Sadhasivam will be sent to judicial remand after inquiry, police said.