A 62-year-old temple priest was arrested for raping a minor girl inside his daughter’s house in Devanahalli near Bengaluru, the police said.
Venkataramanappa was visiting his daughter who lives with her husband in a house located within the Chowdeshwari temple premises, reported Deccan Herald. He lives with his wife in Chikkaballapura. His two daughters are married to temple priests. One of them lives in Devanahalli and another in Yelhanka.
His son-in-law, the priest at the Chowdeshwari temple, had gone out of town when the incident took place, the police said. CK Baba, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast), said that around 4:30 pm on Tuesday, Venkataramanappa saw the 10-year-old girl playing near his house.
‘The girl’s family lives nearby. Venkataramanappa allegedly called her on the pretext of giving her sweets, took her into the house and raped her,’ the DCP said.
He added that the girl’s family turned anxious after she didn’t return home. While they were looking for her, the family got to know that the girl entered the priest’s house, through a woman who was selling flowers outside the temple.
As the family walked into the house, the girl came out crying and narrated the incident after which the family informed the police and took the girl to the nearest local hospital.
Based on CCTV footage and the flower vendor’s statement, the police picked up Venkataramanappa for questioning. He was booked for rape under the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, and arrested. The police claimed that he has confessed. On Wednesday, a court remanded him in judicial custody.
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