(INDIA)
ABP News [India]
January 19, 2024
By ABP News
The pastor, identified as Raveendranath of a Pentecostal church, was arrested in the southern district of Kerala for allegedly sexually abusing the young boy.
A pastor of a Pentecostal church was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in the southern district of Kerala. The 59-year-old pastor was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy whom he lured into a trap at Kattakkada, according to the police, as quoted by PTI.
The pastor, identified as Raveendranath of a Pentecostal church, was arrested in Kerala for allegedly sexually abusing the young boy. Taking the boy to his house on Wednesday, the pastor reportedly served him a cake, showed him explicit content on a tablet and then subjected him to abuse.
The boy, abandoned by his mother, fell victim to the pastor’s enticement while waiting for his grandmother who was at the hospital, according to a report on PTI.
The police have charged the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Following his arrest, he was produced before a court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Four years ago, a 70-year-old Catholic priest, George Padayatty, allegedly molested three minor girls who had sought blessings at his church office in Chendamangalam, Ernakulam district, as reported by the police. The vicar of a Syrian Catholic Church, Padayatty, had been on the run since a case was filed against him in connection with the incident. Charges had been filed against him under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), according to an official at Vadakkekara Police Station, as informed to PTI.
The incident had occurred when nine-year-old girls visited the priest’s office to seek blessings after a church service, as per police statements.
A source within the Syro-Malabar Church had revealed that the priest had been suspended by the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese. Furthermore, he had been directed to cooperate with the ongoing police investigation into the disturbing incident, according to sources.