Kerala Police have registered a case against a Catholic priest on charges of raping a minor girl from the community. Ernakulam rural police said the accused, Fr Edwin Figarez, is a 41-year-old member of the Kottappuram Catholic diocese. After the police registered the case two days back, Figarez had gone into hiding. The police said the minor girl had been exploited several times since January. The last incident was on March 28. The girl revealed the trauma to her family a few days back, after which her mother complained to the police. Police sources said Figarez is active in the field of Christian devotional songs and has several compositions to his credit. He allegedly lured the girl exploiting her interest in music. The spokesman of the Kottapuram diocese was not available for comment. A receptionist at the Bishop’s House said all priests were engaged in the observance of the Passion Week. Last May, a young Catholic priest of Thrissur diocese had been arrested on charges of raping a nine-year-old girl. Fr Raju Kokkan had lured the girl from a poor family promising her a new dress for her Holy Communion.
