A Kerala priest was arrested on Monday for allegedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old schoolgirl inside a church in Thiruvananthapuram.
The accused has been identified as Father Devaraj (65) of Kandanthitta CSI church. He has been functioning as the priest at the church for the past one year.
The crime took place on Sunday when the victim had gone to the church for taking Bible lessons, the police said. The girl's father alleged that he saw his daughter being abused by the accused when he came to pick her up, and immediately informed the police.
A case under Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 376 of the IPC (rape) has been registered against the priest.
Shockingly, several sexual crimes involving priests from Kerala have been on the rise in recent years.
Earlier this year, the case of Father Robin Vadakkanchery, a priest at a Wayanad church who allegedly raped and impregnated a minor girl, had grabbed the headlines after he managed to hide the crime for months