KOLLAM: A man has been arrested for abducting and sexually assaulting a differently-abled old woman who was sleeping in front of a shop in Kollam's Kottiyam.

The arrested has been identified as Rasheed, a native of Oyur in Kottarakkara. The said 75-year-old woman has partial disability in hand and leg. The police got the CCTV footage of the old woman being beaten. In the subsequent investigation, it was found that Rasheed is the accused.

The incident took place on Friday morning at 1 am. The accused approached the old woman and tried to remove her clothes. While she tried to get up, the man hit her on the head several times and knocked her down. The young man then carried the old woman, who was in a weak state.

The next morning, the woman was found half-naked in a pool of blood at a deserted place near Sithara Junction, about one and a half kilometers away. She was first seen by a temple priest and an auto driver. A nearby store's watcher informed the woman's daughter. She was taken to the hospital after her daughter arrived.