A gatekeeper at a school in Karachi's Ibrahim Hyderi area was taken into custody on Friday after a three-year-old girl in the area levelled allegations of sexual assault against him, DawnNews reported.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar said the gatekeeper had allegedly attempted to assault the child yesterday, after which she went home and told her parents.

According to her parents, he said, the child had a fever and they took her to the hospital.

The SSP said that the girl's mother today went to the school to confront the gatekeeper. The ensuing racket alerted area residents of what was happening, and they caught and beat the gatekeeper before handing him over to the Rangers.

He was then shifted to a police station, the SSP said, adding that medical tests were conducted on both the girl and the gatekeeper.

In the aftermath of the encounter, television footage showed enraged residents storming the school and vandalising hallways and displays in protest against the gatekeeper's alleged actions.

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Siyal and provincial police chief, AD Khawaja, took notice of media reports of the incident and ordered the submission of detailed inquiry reports on the matter.

The latest incident comes in the wake of widespread outrage and demonstrations across the country protesting against the suspected rape and murder of 6-year-old Zainab Amin in Kasur, whose body was recovered from a trash heap in the city earlier this week.