Ragpicker arrested for molesting 9-year-old

The city police have arrested a 50-year-old ragpicker for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl over the past 15 days in his neighbourhood in Nandini Layout.

The suspect, Pothalaiah, is a resident of Lakshmidevi Nagar.  He used to lure the girl, a class 3 student, and sexually assault her while her parents were away at work. Her parents are  construction labourers, the police said.

The incident came to light on Sunday when the girl's mother confronted Pothalaiah while she was on her way to a shop.

Pothalaiah greeted the woman and began to chat, but her daughter was feeling uncomfortable and asked her mother to take her home.

Suspecting something was amiss, she asked her daughter what was troubling her. The girl narrated the incident to her mother. The shocked woman lodged a complaint with the Nandini Layout police.

Based on her complaint, the police arrested Pothalaiah and booked him under Section 8 and 9 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and remanded him to judicial custody.  Pothalaiah, who lives alone, is a chronic alcoholic, the police  said.