Catholic priest booked in Kerala for raping woman: Police

The investigating officer said a probe has been initiated and they have not been able to trace the location of the priest so far.

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According to the complaint, the priest had gone to the woman’s house when she was alone and sexually assaulted her.

A Catholic priest in Kerala was booked on Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman in Kozhikode in June 2017, police said. The accused, Fr Manoj alias Jacob Plakoottathil, belongs to the Diocese of Thamarassery.

After the incident, the victim had initially lodged a complaint with Bishop Remigiose Inchananiyil. According to the complaint, the priest had gone to the woman’s house when she was alone and sexually assaulted her. Subsequently, he also threatened her, it said.

Diocese spokesman Fr Mathew Kollamparambil said, “We had removed the priest from the complainant’s parish … Three months ago, the diocese realised about the seriousness of the issue. Now, he has been divested of all duties and the diocese would cooperate with the police probe.”

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When no action was taken against the accused priest, the victim on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the police, which registered a case of rape.

The investigating officer said a probe has been initiated and they have not been able to trace the location of the priest so far.

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