Kochi: In a shocking incident, a youth intruded into a apartment building at the heart of the city on Tuesday noon and attempted to force himself on an elderly woman but was caught by local residents who rushed in hearing her screams. Babu Raju (28), a resident of Attupuram, near Puttingal temple, Chattanoor, Kollam, was later arrested from Subhash Nagar by the Kadavantra police. The 62-year-old woman suffered minor injuries in the sudden onslaught and was undergoing treatment at a near-by hospital. According to cops, the accused was seen roaming around in the area by local residents in the area around noon.

“The incident happened at 2.30 pm when he intruded into a flat and hid behind the parking lot. He undressed himself and forced on the woman when she came down for going to a near-by shop. She started screaming and neighbours and passers-by rushed to the spot hearing the commotion,” police said. The local residents tied him up and later handed over to the police. They claimed that the youth attempted to misbehave with women after intruding into two houses earlier but fled.

The cops suspect he was addicted to drugs and subjected him to medical examination. A case with charges under section 376 (punishment for rape), section 364 (b) (forcibly carries another person with the intention of committing harm), section 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and section 448 (punishment for house trespass).