Kasaragod police arrest man from Kodagu for impregnating 13-year-old daughter

Kasaragod: Kanhangad's Hosdurg Police on Friday arrested a 40-year-old mason, originally from Kodagu, for allegedly sexually assaulting and impregnating his 13-year-old daughter. He was caught by residents who had mounted an overnight vigil for him.

According to police, the girl, a class 8 student, is four months pregnant. The abuse came to light when her parents took her to a Mangalore hospital after she complained of back pain on Thursday. "Doctors at the hospital grew suspicious and advised a scan,” said a police officer.

The father deleted all his photographs from his daughter's phone and left the hospital, he said. His phone was active till Cherkala near Kasaragod town, the officer said. Meanwhile, the hospital management immediately alerted Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf, who in turn informed the girl's local councillor in Kanhangad about the matter.

The councillor briefed the police about the matter before the official intimation came from the hospital. "We immediately dispatched a team to his house. We found his passport and impounded it to prevent him from fleeing around," said another officer from Hosdurg Station.

A police team stood guard near the house until 3 am, but he never turned up. "Before leaving, we asked a few residents to keep watch for him," the officer said.

When the man eventually returned home in the morning, residents apprehended him and roughed him up before handing him over to the police. Police said they have arrested and booked him under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Meanwhile, her mother has taken her to the District Hospital to consult doctors regarding a possible termination of the pregnancy.