10-year-old girl sexually assaulted on train by Chennai-based lawyer; held

Erode: A Chennai-based lawyer was arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl on a train on Saturday.

The girl, who was travelling with her family on Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai express, was fast asleep on her berth when the advocate allegedly molested her.

The girl woke up and raised an alarm, following which her family nabbed the lawyer and informed the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE).

The lawyer identified as KP Prem Ananth, was a former BJP candidate from RK Nagar for 2006 Tamil Nadu assembly polls.

Ananth had boarded the train from Coimbatore, police said.

He was handed over to railway police in Erode, where a case was registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The lawyer was later lodged in a prison in Coimbatore.

(With inputs from agencies)