Erode district president of the Gandhian Makkal Iyakkam was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a minor girl, police said on Saturday.
The accused was held under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and also under the Goondas Act, the police said.
Some weeks ago, Periyasamy (47) took the 12-year-old girl to his photo-copy shop, showed her obscene pictures in his laptop and allegedly misbehaved with her, officials said.
The girl ran away from the shop and told her parents about the incident. Her parents lodged a complaint with Childline which in turn informed the police.
A case under POCSO Act was registered against Periyasamy who was absconding and a search was on, the police said. After some days, he surrendered before the police and was remanded in judicial custody.
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Meanwhile, the police prepared a report and submitted to the Collector seeking invoking of Goondas Act on the accused. After enquiry, the Collector on Friday booked Periyasamy under the Act and he was imprisoned for a year.
