Priest rapes teenager, forces survivor’s brother to sexually abuse her: police | Latest news from India

A 41-year-old Muslim cleric was arrested in Chitradurga district for raping a 17-year-old girl and forcing her 23-year-old brother to physically and sexually abuse her after convincing him that she was possessed and needed special rituals. Police said the girl’s brother was also being held.

According to police, the girl had been regularly visiting a local mosque to study the Quran for the past three years. The cleric, identified as Abdul Rahman, allegedly convinced the girl and her family that she was possessed and demanded that special rituals be performed in her house.

For six to seven months, the priest visited the girl’s house weekly.

The priest took the girl and her brother into a room and told the mother to stay outside. The priest also convinced the girl’s brother that physically assaulting him would bring peace to the girl, police said.

The priest is said to have later incited the brother to rape her sister and filmed it.

According to police, the priest also raped the teenager.

The incident came to light after the girl was admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. After learning about the assault, the girl’s mother filed a complaint against the cleric and her son at the Chitradurga women’s police station.

Chitradurga Deputy Superintendent of Police (SP) B. Dinakar said, “We arrested cleric Abdul Rahman and his brother on Sunday. They were booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Child Protection Act (Pocso) and produced before the JMFC court, which remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.”