School Girl Gives Birth to Baby, Sunday School Teacher Held for Rape

Times of India
March 9, 2017

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/school-girl-gives-birth-to-baby-sunday-school-teacher-held-for-rape/articleshow/57540082.cms

KALPETTA: A day after the incident of brutal rape of seven minor girls who are inmates of an orphanage in Wayanad came to light, another shocking incident of child sexual abuse was reported in the district on Wednesday.

A Sunday school teacher who is also the coordinator of Mananthawadi diocese committee of Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) was taken into custody by Panamaram police for raping a 17-year-old girl. The accused was Sijo George, 23, native of Mathissery under Cherukkattur village in Mananthawadi. The arrest of the accused would be recorded soon.

The girl who was raped on the promise of marriage had given birth to a baby girl at a private hospital in Kozhikode two months ago and the baby is now under the care of a Christian convent.

According to police, the accused started frequently interacting with the girl who performed well in the SSLC examination two years ago and he misused his position of religious teacher and an adviser, to sexually abuse the girl several times. After she got pregnant, the accused took the girl to a private hospital in Kozhikode city, with an aim to cover up the issue and the girl have birth to a baby girl in December. The new born baby had been shifted to a church convent in city on the promise of the marriage of girl. But later the accused failed to his promise after the parents and relatives of accused strongly opposed the marriage.

DSP of Kalpetta, Muhammed Shafi K said that the accused was taken into custody after the police received a tip-off on Wednesday. "We will conduct a detailed investigation on the role of church convent in Kozhikode in covering up the issue," said DSP.

Police said that cases under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Children against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) were registered against the accused.

Recently a church vicar was arrested on the charge of raping a 16-year-old girl at Kottiyur in the neighbouring Kannur district.

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