Palakkad (Ker) | A 77-year-old man was taken into custody for allegedly sexually abusing a three-year-old girl while she was sleeping on the wayside with her migrant labour parents in this north Kerala district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident was reported from the Nadupunni area under Kozhinjambara police station limits here. The incident occurred this morning, and the accused was nabbed soon after the crime, they said.

A police officer said the accused was a migrant labourer from neighbouring Tamil Nadu but didn't divulge any more details.

"The girl was sleeping with her parents on a wayside place. The incident came to light after the parents heard the screams of the child. They found the child with the accused man a few meters away from the place," the officer told PTI.

The parents with the help of local people nabbed the accused and handed him over to the police. An FIR would be registered and his arrest would be recorded soon.

The victim is currently under treatment in a local hospital, they added.