Chennai, Aug 12 (IANS): Police in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchi have arrested a 21-year-old youth for raping and impregnating a 16-year-old girl.

According to the Tiruchi police, the two were in love.

The youth, Prathap was a final year student of a private college and the girl was studying in class 12.

Police said that Prathap was arrested under the Prevention of Children against Sexual Offenses (Pocso) and remanded to judicial custody.

According to the police, Prathap and the girl had been in a relation for a year and he used to visit her whenever she was alone at home and raped her several times by promising her to marry her.

After she developed some health issues, the girl's family took her to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial government hospital (MGMGH), where it was revealed that she was four months pregnant.

Immediately the hospital authorities informed the police and Prathap were arrested and produced before a court which remanded him to judicial custody till August 24.