Kannur (Kerala) | A 23-year-old woman was arrested on Friday for allegedly sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in this district, police said.

The accused has been identified as Sneha Merlin, a native of Pulimparamba near Taliparamba.

The matter came to light during a counselling session conducted by Childline authorities, where allegations of abuse were revealed.

The abuse was discovered after a teacher confiscated a mobile phone from the minor school girl's bag.

Upon inspecting the phone and suspecting something unusual, the teacher informed the girl's parents.

Following the teacher's advice, the parents took the child for counselling with Childline.

During the counselling session, the 12-year-old girl disclosed that she had been sexually abused multiple times by Sneha.

Based on this revelation, the police were informed, leading to her arrest.

Police also said the accused had allegedly given gifts, including a gold bracelet, to the girl.

The arrest was made in connection with an incident of abuse that took place in February, they added.