Police on Saturday arrested a man who allegedly attempted to rape a sixth grader in Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab.

Initial reports suggested that a man dragged a 12-year-old girl from the street into his house in Kala area when she was on her way to a religious seminary early in the morning.

The victim put up resistance and cried out loud, prompting the neighbours of the suspect to rush to his house and rescue the girl. The suspect, however, managed to flee the scene before they arrived.

Kala police registered a case against the suspect and launched a search operation to arrest him. Subsequently, the accused, who runs a clothing shop in the area, was arrested on charges of attempting rape on a minor.

Saddar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Bashir Ahmed Awan told Dawn that Kala police station SHO Chaudhary Azhar Hussain had arrested the accused from the riverine area of Bait Sawai hours after filing the case against him.

The latest incident comes days after widespread outrage and protest demonstrations erupted across the country against the rape and murder of 6-year-old Zainab Amin in Kasur, whose body was recovered from a trash heap in the city earlier this week.