A 43-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday night by the Fort All Women Police on the charge of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Tiruchi.The accused, identified as C. Mari Selvam, is a taxi driver from Sivaganga district. According to the police, the crime was committed on Wednesday evening when Mari Selvam visited the house of the girl’s friend. Allegedly under the influence of alcohol, he abducted the girl in his car and sexually assaulted her before dropping her near her residence. The girl was found in a unconscious state, and on receipt of information, her sister had rushed the girl to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in the city.Following a complaint lodged by the girl’s sister, the Fort All Women Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.Angered over the crime, another sister of the victim, along with a few others had attacked Mari Selvam at Kalmandhai Colony. He was injured in the attack and was also admitted to the Tiruchi GH. A group of relatives of the victim staged a protest in front of the hospital late on Wednesday night.Mari Selvam was arrested and subsequently remanded in judicial custody. The girl was undergoing treatment at the hospital, police sources said. Published - June 04, 2026 05:59 pm IST