Kollam (Kerala), Sep 22 (IANS) : A 65-year-old man has been arrested for molesting a 90-year-old widow, who is a cancer patient, in Kollam, police said on Wednesday.

The arrested was a neighbour of the victim.

Speaking to IANS, Ajitha Begum, Kollam district rural police chief, said the arrest has been recorded.

"The charges that have been put on the accused include outraging the modesty of a women and attempt to rape. Preliminary medical examination has been done on the victim and a detailed report of it will be made available to us in three days," said Begum.

On Wednesday morning the widow living alone in her house at Kadakkal near here told a TV channel that a man entered her house a few days back in the middle of the night with a knife.

The woman told the media that the crime was committed by someone who knew the layout of her house.

"The accused entered my house through the back door. This can be done only by someone who knows the house well," she said.

"I pleaded with him not to harm me but he did not listen... I want the police to arrest the accused," she said.

The crime took place last week but became public knowledge only on Wednesday. After the media took it up, the police registered an FIR and took the victim to a state run hospital near here.

Based on her statement, the police nabbed Babu.

Meanwhile, a tense situation prevailed at the hospital when angry CPI-M and Congress activists were engaged in a mild tussle, after Bindu Krishna, the top leader of the Congress party's women's wing, had to face the ire of the CPI-M workers.

But with the police acted quickly to avert a major showdown.

Leader of opposition and former Congress Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala condemned the incident and blamed the CPI-M-led government that the state of affairs is such that even a 90-year-old woman cannot sleep safely in her home.