Bengaluru: A 68-year-old priest in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl at his daughter’s home, located within the temple premises, police said Thursday.
According to the police, the accused has been identified as Venkataramanappa, a resident of Chikkaballapura, who was looking after the temple near Devanahalli in the absence of his son-in-law.
The incident took place Tuesday evening, when Venkataramanappa saw the girl playing outside the temple and allegedly lured her by promising to give her sweets, a police officer said.
“This incident came to light as when the girl went inside the priest’s house, the girl’s grandmother came in search of the girl. A woman selling flowers outside the temple told her that the girl was with the priest. When the grandmother called her granddaughter, the girl came running outside the house. The angry grandmother immediately filed a complaint with us… we arrested him there only,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, North East, C.K. Baba told IANS.
The DCP added that based on CCTV camera footage in the temple premises and the flower vendor’s statement, Venkataramanappa was arrested and booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Police were awaiting a medical report and based on it, some more sections might be applied in this case, he said.
IANS