Kozhikode: A self-styled sorcerer has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Thamarassery in the district on Wednesday.

The arrested man was Anwar Sadath of Alanchery, near Puthuppady.

According to the complaint, the woman, who had married about one-and-a-half months ago, had approached Sadath along with her husband seeking a solution to their marital problems.

Sadath allegedly chanted a mantra and handed the woman's husband a coconut, asking him to stand outside and recite the mantra while looking out. He then allegedly took the woman to another room and sexually assaulted her, police said.

Sadath reportedly went into hiding after learning that a police team led by the Thamarassery DySP was investigating the complaint. He was arrested when he returned to his house at Engapuzha.

Police said Sadath had previously been arrested in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.