A 23-year-old man, who was arrested for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old child, broke one of his legs when he was chased by the Nilgiris district police, the police said, in a statement to the press on Friday, January 19, 2024.
The man, identified as Ajith, a resident of Thalakundah, is alleged to have sexually assaulting a child when she was making her way back home after taking part in a temple festival. Local residents on Thursday, January 18, had staged a protest alleging that they had found Ajith in a thicket with the child. They chased and apprehended him and handed him over to the Pudumund police.
Ajith had sustained injuries when he was assaulted by the mob, and was admitted to the Udhagamandalam Medical College and Hospital for treatment. However, the police on Friday clarified that police personnel had chased Ajith following the assault on the child, and during the course of the chase, Ajith had fallen into a declivity and had broken one of his legs.
The police also confirmed that Ajith had already been arrested previously for sexually assaulting another minor, and that he had been detained under the Goondas Act already. He had been released from prison recently, following which he had sexually assaulted the child on Wednesday, January 17.
