A 55-year-old man was arrested in Pollachi on Sunday for raping and impregnating a 13-year-old girl.

The crime came to light after parents of the survivor noticed behavioural changes in the minor after she became pregnant.  

The girl and the accused lived in the same street and were acquainted with one and other.

According to her statement, she was raped twice in the beginning of the year but did not confide in anyone.

But following her pregnancy, her parents began to notice changes in her behaviour and found that her health was deteriorating.

"The girl did not understand what had happened to her. The family too didn't suspect the man because he was a frequent visitor to their home and they all belonged to the same community," said Pollachi SP Moorthy.

"When she fell ill, they took her to the doctor and that is when they realised she was raped," he adds.

On confronting the minor, she told her parents about the ordeal and they in turn filed a complaint against the accused.

The man has been identified as Aruchamy, who hails from Kallipatti village near Negamam.

He has been arrested under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the IPC.

He was produced before the magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.