Locals burnt the house of a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act accused the day he was arrested for sexually assaulting a minor girl at Payyoli near Kozhikode, Kerala. The home of Tarammel Majeed (44), a native of Ayanikkad, was set on fire. Majeed lived alone and was in police custody when his house was set on fire. The incident happened on Friday during the Popular Front of India hartal day.
Around eight at night, the accused broke into a neighbor’s house. Only a 16-year-old minor girl and her grandmother were at home at the time of the incident. When the little girl resisted his sexual assault, Majeed dragged her into the washroom. She raised the alarm, and locals arrived and caught Majeed.
They informed the police, who arrived and took him to the hospital for a medical checkup. After the medical examination, they returned to the police station and registered his arrest under the POCSO act. This was when locals reported that Majeed’s house was on fire.
Neighbors heard roof tiles bursting around midnight and tried to extinguish the fire. Firefighters and police rushed to the spot and doused the fire, but the whole house was destroyed by then.
Majeed is a rowdy sheeter, and locals said he had several complaints against his name. It is reported that he has tried to attack locals on several occasions. It is not clear who set the house on fire. The police have started a detailed investigation into the incident. Payyoli Inspector K.C. Subhash Babu inspected the spot.
