Second priest held in Kerala rape case

July 13, 2018 18:30

Kerala police today arrested the second priest accused of sexually abusing a woman in Pathnamthitta district, while two other clergymen were still absconding.

Johnson P Mathew, a counsellor, was arrested from Kozhencherry in the district and is being questioned by crime branch sleuths, police sources said.

His anticipatory bail petition was pending in court.

The Crime Branch made the first arrest yesterday after Job Mathew, the vicar of a local church, surrendered, a day after the high court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea and that of two other priests, observing they acted as "predators" and took "undue advantage" of the woman.

The two other priests are absconding.

Crime Branch sources said there were no orders from the court against Johnson P Mathew's arrest.

The incident came to light after an audio clip of the purported conversation of the husband of the alleged victim with a church official about the alleged sexual abuse of his wife by the priests was widely circulated on social media.

The woman's husband had last month accused five priests of using his wife's secret confession to "blackmail and sexually abuse" her.

The crime branch registered a case following which the four priests had moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail.

-- PTI

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