Kochi | A man suspected of allegedly abducting and sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl and then abandoning her in a paddy field in the Aluva area of central Kerala on Thursday was caught by police several hours after the incident on the same day.

The man was caught from near the Aluva bridge today evening where he was drinking alcohol.

The suspect attempted to escape from the police by jumping into the nearby river and swimming away, but was caught with the help of local residents and pulled out of the water.

Visuals aired by news channels showed the suspect being captured by the police with the help of the people living in the area and being taken away from the spot.

The people told the media that the police have been in the area in plainclothes ever since the incident, looking for the perpetrator.

"He was drinking under the bridge and, on seeing the police, jumped into the water to escape. But police and other persons stopped him from escaping and pulled him out of the water," one of the local people said.

The suspect appeared drunk, he added.

The eight-year-old child whom the accused sexually assaulted was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery and her condition is stable, police said.

The girl underwent surgery for injuries suffered in the brutal incident, police added.

The suspect allegedly abducted the girl from outside her home in Aluva here while she was sleeping.