Chennai, Jan 15 (IANS): A 22-year-old youth from Bihar has been arrested here for raping an 18-year-old German girl while travelling on the Mangalore-Chennai West Coast Express, police said.

Chandan Kumar was arrested by railway police Tuesday evening.

"We have arrested Chandan Kumar, aged 22, a carpenter working in Sriperumbudur. He and the German girl were travelling together from Mangalore to Chennai Jan 10. They were sharing a RAC (reservation against cancellation) seat," Inspector General of Police (Railways) Seema Agarwal told IANS.

She said the girl came here to work in a non-governmental organisation.

Agarwal said though the incident happened on the night of Jan 10 and the train reached Chennai Jan 11 evening, the girl filed her complaint Jan 13.

"Initially she had gone to the Chennai police commissioner's office who in turn informed me. The German girl had first contacted the German Consul office. An official from the German consul accompanied her when the complaint was made," Agarwal said.

Based on information given by the railways from the ticket reservation forms, Kumar was traced within 24 hours and arrested Tuesday evening.

Though there were other passengers in the compartment where the sexual assault took place, the girl did not make any complaint at that time out of fear, she said.