T’puram: Nearly a week after a 14-year-old boy was found dead at his house in Kallara, police on Thursday arrested a 58-year-old neighbour on charges of sexually assaulting the Class IX student.The accused, Dharmarajan, a Kallara resident, was arrested under relevant provisions of Pocso Act.The boy was found hanging from the veranda of his house on July 31.The investigation took a decisive turn after two locals told police that they had seen the accused taking the boy away shortly before the incident. Based on their statements, investigators questioned the suspect in detail.During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted that he had sexually assaulted the child on an earlier occasion, said police. The police suspect that the abuse drove the teenager to die by suicide.Police said further investigation is under way to establish the sequence of events leading to the boy’s death.The accused is expected to be produced before the court on Friday.
