COIMBATORE: Five youngsters from Tiruvannamalai were arrested on Monday for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl from Paramathivelur in Namakkal.

The victim, hailing from a village near Jedarpalayam and studying class eight had gone missing from home a few days ago. Based on a complaint from her parents, the Jedarpalayam police traced her location to be in Tiruvannamalai by picking up her cell phone signal.

She was then rescued and police inquiries revealed some youth befriended the girl on social media and enticed her to come to Tiruvannamalai. There, she was kept under confinement and sexually exploited by the culprits.

Police arrested Vignesh (26), Akash (22), Elangovan (30), Sanjay and Selvakumaran (19), all hailing from Tiruvannamalai under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. A search is on for one more youth involved in the offence. Further inquiries are on.