Thrissur (Kerala) | A Bihari man facing a death sentence for raping and murdering a minor girl at Aluva in 2023 was assaulted by a co-prisoner at the Viyyur Central Jail in Thrissur, police said here on Tuesday.

Viyyur police have registered a case and started an investigation into the incident, they said.

The case was registered based on the complaint of Ashafaq Alam, 30, who was sentenced to death by Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court in November 2023.

According to police officials, Alam was stabbed using a spoon and assaulted by a co-prisoner, Rahilal, in the corridor in front of the fourth cell in the D-Block of Viyyur Central Jail at around 4 pm on Sunday.

Rahilal, hailing from Kottayam who was imprisoned in another criminal case, intercepted Alam and told him, "You are an accused in a murder case," the FIR stated.

Later, he took out a spoon and stabbed Alam on his head and face, it said.

Then, he continued to abuse Alam verbally.

Soon, jail officials reached the place and provided medical aid to Alam.

Rahilal was shifted to a cell in another block to avoid any future confrontation.

Based on the complaint of Alam, Viyyur police registered a case under sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons and means) and 296(b) (obscene act) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

It was on July 28, 2023, Alam abducted a five-year-old daughter of a Bihar native couple and took her to a place where garbage was dumped behind Aluva market. There, he raped the victim and smothered her to death.

The police, who started a probe into the child missing incident, arrested Alam from Aluva and recovered the body of the victim.

A police probe revealed that Alam also made sexual advances to a minor while he was staying in New Delhi.