A 40‑year‑old man has been arrested in Kerala for allegedly sexually assaulting a six‑year‑old girl while she was asleep on board the Palaruvi Express travelling between Kollam in Kerala and Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu, railway police said on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday, around 1:30 am, in the general compartment of the Palaruvi Express as the train was moving from Kollam towards Tamil Nadu. The child was returning with her grandfather to their native place in Tenkasi after a pilgrimage to Edathua Church in Kerala.
Police said the accused, identified as Saanish (40), a Kollam native employed at a poultry shop, moved the sleeping girl from the compartment floor to his seat before allegedly assaulting her. A woman seated nearby reportedly recorded the act on her mobile phone and raised an alarm; by then the train had entered Tamil Nadu and the suspect disembarked at Sengottai.
On the basis of the recording, the girl’s statement, and photographs circulated among local police, Saanish was tracked down and arrested in Kollam on Friday. He has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and was remanded to 15 days’ judicial custody on Saturday.
The case has intensified focus on child safety in crowded general compartments and on the role of bystanders in intervening and recording evidence. Railway authorities have reiterated that passengers should report suspicious behaviour immediately via the GRP helpline or R‑PAS app.