CHENNAI: Tension escalated outside the Arambakkam police station in Tiruvallur district on Saturday as hundreds of AIADMK cadres joined the relatives of a ten-year-old who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a suspect a week ago.

The party cadres condemned the police for not arresting the suspect despite the presence of CCTV footage. Senior police officers appeased the gathered crowd and asked them to disperse, promising swift action.

The police sources said the teams have been sent to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to secure the suspect after inputs about him hiding there.

The incident happened on July 12, and a CCTV clip of the suspect abducting the girl went viral two days ago. The girl, a class 4 student, was living with her grandparents near Gummidipoondi while her parents stayed and worked in Andhra Pradesh.

The video clip shows the man following the girl and gagging her with his hands from behind. As the girl struggled to escape, the man dragged her to the bushes by the side of the road.

Police sources said that the girl managed to escape from him after she raised alarms and rushed to her grandmother, who approached the police.