Kerala police have arrested a 74-year-old Christian pastor for allegedly raping a minor girl. The accused, Mathew is a resident of Mukaddam near Konnathady in Idukki district. This crime took place in January and the girl’s mother who came to know about the incident filed a complaint in Kunnathunad police station. The accused pastor, who according to police, goes around houses preaching religious matters, was arrested from Konnathady.
Mathew has been charged with POCSO Act. Police have said that “We cannot reveal other details on where the alleged crime took place or other details as that would reveal the identity of the child. The accused has been remanded to judicial custody by the court.
We have seen a sudden jump in such sexual crimes by Christian Pastors in recent times. Recently vicar of a Jacobite Syrian church in Idukki was arrested by the police for allegedly sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman. Fifty-five-year-old Fr Reji Palakkadan is the accused in the case. He was practicing as an Ayurvedic practitioner but was not running an officially registered firm.
In 2019, a 68 years old priest Father George Padayattil of the Syro Malabar Church in Ernakulam district was arrested for sexually assaulting three 9-year-old girls.
In 2019, another Christian priest Father George TJ in Kochi, who was running a Boy’s home, was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing six minor boys who resided in the place.
