TIRUNELVELI (INDIA)
New Indian Express [Chennai, India]
March 28, 2025
Joshua Emmanuel lured women under the pretext of performing prayers to ward off ‘evil forces’ affecting their lives.
TIRUNELVELI: The Tirunelveli Mahila Court on Thursday sentenced a Christian priest and his driver to seven years of concurrent imprisonment for sexually assaulting several women and threatening to disseminate their explicit photographs online, in 2016.
Following trial proceedings, Mahila Court Judge T Panneerselvam convicted Joshua Emmanuel (47), a priest from Karuppur near Ettayapuram in Thoothukudi district, and his driver Vinoth Kumar (32). The court sentenced Joshua to 24 years under various sections of the IPC and IT Act, ordering that the sentences run concurrently for seven years.
He was also fined Rs 54,000. Vinoth Kumar was sentenced to 15 years under different sections, and will serve them concurrently for seven years, and was fined Rs 3,000. He was convicted of conniving with Joshua in the crimes.
Joshua Emmanuel lured women under the pretext of performing prayers to ward off ‘evil forces’ affecting their lives. He allegedly took them to secluded locations, where he sexually exploited them and extorted their jewellery.
Additionally, he deceived educated women by promising government jobs, and subjected them to sexual assault. The incident came to light when a 24-year-old woman and a 26-year-old B.Ed student from the district lodged complaints with the then Tirunelveli superintendent of police.
One of the complainants alleged that Joshua Emmanuel had taken her to Salem, where he sexually assaulted her. The B.Ed student, who accused the priest of sexually exploiting her, later died by suicide and left behind a note blaming the accused. Based on the complaints, police arrested Joshua Emmanuel and Vinoth Kumar from Virudhunagar.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)