TIRUCHY: A Thanjavur man was arrested under the Pocso Act on Monday for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The girl's boyfriend was also arrested for cheating her.

The girl, who is from Chennai, fell in love with Jagadeeswaran (24), a coolie worker near her house. He is a native of Tiruvonam in Thanjavur and invited her to come there. Collecting money from her house, she left for Thanjavur on February 13, only to be left stranded by Jagadeeswaran. She waited for him at the Thanjavur bus stand and tried to contact him repeatedly but in vain.

Bhuvaneswaran (30), an auto driver from Annai Sathya Nagar, noticed the girl and asked about her ordeal. As Bhuvaneswaran's wife was out of town, he took her to his home and sexually assaulted her for three days by locking her inside the house.

On Sunday, with his wife due for arrival, he took the girl back to the bus stand to send her to Chennai. The police patrolling team observed the girl's demeanour and monitored him. On intercepting, Bhuvaneswaran gave contradictory answers, prompting the team to nab and hand him over to Vallam All Women Police Station and rescue the girl.

After completing the inquiry, the police registered a case against Bhuvaneswaran under various sections, including the Pocso Act and arrested him. Subsequently, the police also traced Jagadeeswaran and arrested him under the Pocso Act on Monday. The girl was later handed over to a government home.