Suspect in Tiruvallur child kidnap, sexual assault nabbed in AP

CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur district police have secured a suspect from Sulurpet in Andhra Pradesh wanted in the 10-year-old girl’s kidnap and sexual assault that took place in the Arambakkam police limits in Tiruvallur district two weeks ago.

Inspector General of Police (IGP)-North Zone, Asra Garg, confirmed to mediapersons that a suspect is in police custody, but refused to divulge more details.

"Our teams secured him only a few hours ago. A probe is still under way. We cannot reveal details of the investigation at this moment," Garg said.

Couple of days ago, the police had picked up a man from Uttar Pradesh who was undergoing treatment for injuries at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai for questioning in connection with the case, but let him off later.

The public had alerted the police about the man's resemblance to the suspect in the photographs released by them. Earlier this week, the Tamil Nadu Police announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh to any individual who provides specific and credible information leading to the identification of the suspect in the minor girl’s kidnap and sexual assault case.

While the incident happened on July 12, CCTV footage of the yet-to-be-identified suspect grabbing the girl from behind and taking her into the bushes went viral a few days later. Despite the CCTV footage, the Tiruvallur district police were not able to apprehend him until Friday. The girl, a class 4 student, was living with her grandparents near Gummidipoondi while her parents stayed and worked in Andhra Pradesh. The video clip shows the man following the girl and gagging her with his hands from behind. As the girl struggled to escape, the man dragged her into the bushes by the side of the road.

Meanwhile, a huge crowd had gathered outside the Arambakkam police station after word spread that a suspect was under interrogation there.

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