Man held for sexually harassing IT professional in Kerala hostel

A man was held on Sunday for allegedly sexually harassing an IT professional in her hostel room at Kazhakoottam here, police said.

They have not disclosed the identity of the person, who was brought to the state capital on Sunday night.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Thiruvananthapuram City) Farash T said the accused, a native of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, is a driver by profession and owner of the lorry.

''He came here as part of a lorry trip. Our team took him into custody from Madurai,'' the officer said.

On October 17, Kazhakoottam police received a complaint that an IT professional was sexually assaulted by an unidentified person while she was asleep in her hostel room. As the victim could not identify the attacker, who fled into the darkness after she woke up and resisted, police formed a special team and began a probe.

''We initially had no information about the suspect, so we examined several CCTV cameras in the area and tracked vehicle movements. Eventually, we identified the person and traced his location,'' Farash said.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive, the DCP said, adding that the suspect is believed to be involved in other cases as well, which are yet to be verified. An identification parade and scientific examination are pending.

''He has confessed to the crime, but a detailed probe is needed to collect corroborative scientific evidence,'' Farash said.