The accused's wife followed him and raised an alarm when she saw him undressing the girl

A man fled after his wife caught him undressing a minor girl, in an attempt to rape her, in Birsa area of Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, police said today.

"Saku Netam, 25, tried to rape the 10-year-old girl, a student of Class 5, while she was alone at her house on Friday evening. However, Netam's wife followed him and raised an alarm when she saw the accused undressing the girl," said Birsa police station Inspector Nilesh Parteti.

He added that the accused, who is known to the girl's family, fled from the spot and a hunt was currently underway for him.

"The girl's family filed a complaint today. Netam has been charged with trying to rape the minor as well as house trespass under relevant sections of the IPC as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," Inspector Parteti said.