Kannur: A Madrassa teacher was arrested for allegedly branding a student with an iron box, police said on Saturday.

Umair Ashrafi, a resident of Tanur in Malappuram, is also accused of smearing chilli powder on the boy's private parts as punishment for alleged disobedience, police added.

As the student lodged a complaint with the police recently, the accused fled from the state and was staying in hideouts in various places in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Based on a tip-off that he was coming to Tanur from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, a police team reached Tanur and waited for his arrival on Thursday. Though Ashrafi tried to run away on seeing the police, he was later caught.

Kannavam police arrested him and booked him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Ashrafi was produced before a local court here which remanded him to judicial custody on Friday, police added.

PTI