Kerala: Christian priest held for sexually assaulting children

A 40-year-old Christian priest was arrested Sunday for allegedly sexually assaulting six inmates of a boys' home here, police said. George alias Jerry was arrested on a complaint lodged by the parents of the children who ran away from the home in Perumbadom near here on Saturday night when he allegedly attempted to sexually assault them, they said.

The priest had been allegedly sexually abusing six children since December last year, they added. The priest was the director of the church-run boys' home, which provided shelter and education to children from poor families.

The issue came to light when six children ran away from the home and called their parents from a phone with the help of a person whom they met on the street Saturday night, police said. The priest has been charged under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused was produced before a magistrate court, which remanded him to judicial custody, they added.

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