Coimbatore: Almost a week after the body of a seven-year-old girl was found in an alley near her house, the police have now arrested a 35-year-old man, who allegedly confessed to the crime. He had also said that he had been sexually assaulting the child over a period of six months.

The Coimbatore Police nabbed the alleged culprit as the T-shirt that was used to gag the girl was traced to him.

The accused was in town to visit his ailing grandmother and he sexually assaulted the minor. He confessed to killing her when she started screaming.

The accused said that he had been living alone since his divorce, a few years ago and has since been visiting his ailing grandmother, who lives close to the family of the minor.

He then hid the body until very late and then disposed it in an alley.

After the completion of court proceedings, he was lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison. The police are also checking if anyone else had been involved in the crime, said an official attached with the special team.

10 special teams were initially formed to look into the case; later, this was increased to 14. 

Though the victim’s parents provided a list of suspects, the police inquired with seven persons, including the child’s grandfather. 

They also questioned over a hundred people to check if they could identify the T-shirt.

The parents of the child urged the police to leave no stone unturned as they suspect involvement of more people. 

The medical report had indicated that she might have been sexually abused by more than one person, they claimed. 

The case was initially filed as a missing person, but soon the seven-year-old’s body was found in an alley with injuries. The girl had also been gagged using a T-shirt.

Protests broke out across Coimbatore demanding justice for the victim and the family.

Even Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan had visited the place to offer his condolences to the family. He also demanded speedy action against the perpetrators.