KOOTHATTUKULAM: A 63-year-old man, who is an accused in a POCSO case, hanged himself after slashing and injuring the victim in the case. The accused is the paternal uncle of the victim. The accused attacked the 17-year-old girl at around 11 am yesterday while she was washing clothes at her house in Ilanji. The girl was alone at home.

It was the neighbors who took the child to the nearby hospital. Later, the girl was shifted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital. During the subsequent investigation, the police found the accused hanging dead in a nearby rubber plantation. The police had registered a case against him in 2021 on the girl's complaint of sexual harassment. The hearing of the case was about to begin. The girl belongs to a family with no financial capacity.