Kolkata, Oct 20 (IANS): A youth in West Bengal's Dajeeling district has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a minor girl in his neighbourhood, the police said on Friday.

The arrested individual, identified as Muktiprasad Kachowa, was presented at a Siliguri court which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.

According to the police, the incident took place in Phansidewa block in Darjeeling district.

Besides sexually harassing the minor girl, the accused had also threatened her of dire consequences if she disclosed the incident to anyone.

The minor girl's parents told the police that she was sexually abused by the accused on Thursday while she was alone at home. She was then threatened by the youth who brandished a knife, warning of dire consequences.

But when the minor girl began screaming, a woman staying at the neighbourhood rescued her.

The accused somehow managed to escape and went absconding.

A local NGO later intervened in the matter and filed a police complaint.

Police said that since the victim is a minor, the accused has been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.