(INDIA)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
October 19, 2026
By Bijay Kumar Minj
Investigators had learned of five alleged victims and were investigating, local media reports said
Police in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have arrested a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing minor boys, with investigators reportedly identifying five alleged victims.
Police arrested Father Cyprian Pinto, the parish priest of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, on Oct. 18 at a relative’s residence in Mangaluru (formerly Mangalore), the New Indian Express newspaper reported, quoting Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy.
Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha of Mangalore, when contacted by UCA News on Oct. 19, said he could not comment on the issue because the case is now sub judice.
Santhosh D’Souza, president of Catholic Sabha Mangaluru, a lay association, said it was too early to draw conclusions as investigations were still ongoing.
We have full faith in the law of the land; let’s wait for the truth to come out, he told UCA News on Oct. 19.
Police have reportedly registered a case against Pinto under India’s stringent anti-abuse law, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO), and the criminal code.
According to the formal complaint, a minor boy who regularly visited the church for prayers alleged that Pinto called him to a room and subjected him to inappropriate physical contact after offering him chocolates.
One alleged incident occurred on Aug. 14, after which the boy reportedly confided in his friends. Some other boys allegedly claimed to have had similar experiences with the priest.
Investigators had learned of five alleged victims and were investigating, local media reports said, citing a senior police officer.
The case came to light after Odanadi, a child-protection group, intervened on behalf of the complainant’s family and alerted the Mangaluru police commissioner.
The New Indian Express reported that Pinto went into hiding after the case was registered, before police arrested him at his relative’s residence.
Police said they would produce him before a magistrate after interrogation and completion of the required procedures.
The newspaper claimed Pinto had been placed on administrative leave at the end of August and that the matter was allegedly handled internally at first.
Details of when Church officials learned of the allegations, whether they informed police and what measures they took to protect children remain unclear.
The case has renewed attention on safeguarding procedures in religious institutions and the responsibility of Church authorities to ensure allegations involving children are reported to the appropriate authorities.
Under Indian law, the identities of children who suffered sexual violence must remain confidential.
The allegations concern an individual priest and should not be taken as evidence of wrongdoing by the wider Catholic community, a lay Catholic from Mangaluru said on condition of anonymity.
Karnataka has a population of 61 million, with Hindus making up 84 percent, Muslims 13 percent, and Christians about 2 percent, or 1.1 million, according to the 2011 national census, the most recent data available.