Priest rapes underage girl for six months in Chitradurga, Karnataka

CHITRADURGA: A Moulvi (cleric) of a mosque in Chitradurga was arrested by the district police on suspicion of sexually assaulting a young girl who regularly visited the mosque for studying Quran. The complaint was registered at the women’s police station on May 31.

The minor girl, who had been attending the mosque for three years for Islamic studies, allegedly fell victim to the advances of the Moulvi. It is learnt that the Moulvi told the family that the minor girl was possessed by evil spirits that could not be expelled in the mosque. He then persuaded the family to allow him to visit their house to ensure that the girl was freed from the spirits.

The situation took an even darker turn when the Moulvi allegedly encouraged the victim’s brother to rape her as a remedy and allegedly recorded the act. Every time he visited her house, he took the girl and her brother into a room and asked her parents to stay outside. The cleric had allegedly brainwashed the girl’s brother by making him believe that she was possessed by evil spirits and needed to be sexually treated. The accused also raped her.

These shocking incidents of abuse reportedly occurred every week for a period of six months, after which the girl complained of pain. Her parents sought medical attention, which brought her ordeal to light. Following a complaint by the victim’s mother, a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the Moulvi and the girl’s brother.

The district police swiftly intervened, arrested the two men and launched a thorough investigation. SP Dharmender Kumar Meena told TNIE that both the Moulvi and the victim’s brother have been taken into custody and the investigation is on at the women’s police station.