A 50-year-old journalist of a local vernacular daily was arrested for his alleged attempt to rape a six-year-old girl here, police said on Monday.

Yavatmal (Maha): A 50-year-old journalist of a local vernacular daily was arrested for his alleged attempt to rape a six-year-old girl here, police said on Monday. The accused, Pradeep Laxman Deshmukh, was caught on Sunday by a youth from an isolated spot near Arni state transport bus stand while he was trying to rape the girl studying in first standard.

The journalist was handed over to police by the youth and his friends, Arni police station official Girish Bobade said. "The accused was in an inebriated condition and confessed to have committed the crime," he said. A medical examination conducted on the six-year-old at Yavatmal Medical College confirmed attempt to rape.

Pradeep works for a local Marathi daily and is married. He has an 18-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son, Bobade said, adding that the accused happens to be the minor's neighbour and often used to take her on his bicycle after promising her chocolates or other eatables.

The accused was produced on Monday before a local court, which remanded him in magisterial custody, police said.

PTI