Kochi:A minor girl was allegedly abducted, sexually assaulted and abandoned in a paddy field in Aluva on Thursday and the victim underwent surgery for the injuries suffered in the brutal incident, police said.

The incident occurred at around 2 a.m. According to reports, the perpetrator kidnapped the child while she was sleeping at her residence. A search led by the locals found the girl in a paddy field nearby. She was bleeding from wounds on her body. 

Aluva Rural SP Vivek Kumar said, "The suspect is a local and is from Kerala. We have to identify him after his arrest. Then only we can pinpoint where he is from."

His arrest will be recorded soon, informed official. The girl has been shifted to Kalamassery Medical College. 

Meanwhile, a local resident said that he saw the suspect walking along with the girl near his house at around 2.15 am. "I woke up to go to the toilet and as it was raining, I looked outside to see how heavy it was. That is when I saw the man and the girl walking by," he said.

The eyewitness, however, said he was not able to identify the suspect from the CCTV visuals shown by the police, but can do so if he saw the man in person.

The police also released the visuals to the media.

At the time of the happening, the child's father was away at Thiruvananthapuram. Only the minor's mother and two siblings were present at the house. The children were sleeping alone in the hall and the mother in the bedroom. It has been found that the accused gained access to the room by unlocking the front door through an open window. He closed the door behind him as he left the house after kidnapping the child, claims the relatives. 

Meanwhile, police have collected the CCTV footages in connection to the incident. The locals alleged that the accused is a robber and is often found roaming near the Aluva Railway Station premises. 

The victim was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, police said. The victim's health condition is stable now.

"She has some injuries in her private parts. Now she is undergoing surgery for that. The suspect has been identified by the victim," he said and added the man would be arrested "as soon as possible", a senior police officer of the district told reporters.

The shocking incident was reported a month after a five-year old girl was abducted, raped and killed by a migrant labour in Aluva.

The body of the girl, the daughter of migrant labourers, was found abandoned in a marshy area behind the Aluva fish market, near the Periyar River in July last week.

Police had arrested a person from Bihar- Asafak Alam, 28-, who has confessed to the crime. PTI