A 55-year-old madrassa teacher was arrested on Monday near Malappuram for allegedly sexually abusing minor girl students, police said.

Abdurahiman Musliar, a madrassa teacher at Puthuparamba near Kottakkal was arrested under sections 9 and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012 and section 23 of Juvenile Justice Act.

He was produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate court which remanded him to 14 days judicial custody, Kottakkal police Sub-Inspector Manjith Lal said.

"On getting information from district Childline authorities about a complaint from parents of seven girl children studying in fifth standard in the madrassa that they were allegedly being sexually exploited by the teacher for several months, we met their parents and recorded the statements of the girls, aged between 10 and 11," he said.

The parents had lodged a complaint last week with the madrassa authorities following which he was dismissed from service.

The teacher, who had been at large since then, was held today, the SI said.

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