A nine-year-old girl who was sent to deliver embroidered garments at a zari embroidery unit was allegedly sexually harassed by the manager of the unit on Saturday evening, police said.

The accused, identified as Imtiaz Alam, was arrested on Monday morning.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl’s uncle, his niece had gone to the garment workshop around 5.30pm on Saturday to deposit some embroidered garments when the alleged crime took place.

“According to the complaint, the accused, the manager of the workshop, took advantage of the fact that he was alone at the unit. He sexually harassed the child and threatened her with dire consequences if she told anything to her parents,” a senior officer of Garden Reach police station said.

After she returned home, the girl started crying, raising her family’s suspicion. On being questioned, she told them about Alam’s alleged advances, said the police.

Her uncle lodged a complaint accusing the manager of sexual harassment.

Based on the complaint, police have started a case under sections of wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and sexual harassment. Charges of sexual assault against a child under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act have also been slapped against Alam.

The police said that if proven guilty, the charges would attract a minimum punishment of three years in jail.

According to senior police officers, parents must earn their children’s trust so that they feel comfortable disclosing such incidents rather than hiding them in fear of their possible reaction.

“We were able to take action in time only because the girl had confided in her family. In many cases, the children fail to muster the courage to share their plight and often suffer repeated sexual assault,” said a senior officer of the Port division of Kolkata Police.