A 27-year-old man, hailing from Odisha, was arrested today for attempting to sexually assault an eight-year-old girl in Somanur, in the outskirts of Coimbatore.

According to police, the girl, studying in Class III, had gone to a shop yesterday evening. Her parents became concerned when she did not return for long. Her father, Lakshmanan, who went in search of her, was stunned when he saw the child crying with torn clothes and told him that a man tried to sexually assault her.

Based on a complaint, the All Woman Police Station in Thudiyalur started investigation and zeroed in on Ravikantha, a native of Bhadrak district of Odisha, and employed in a mill there. On interrogation, it was revealed that he had taken the girl to a lonely place and attempted to sexually assault her.

Ravikanta was arrested and remanded to custody.