The Andhra Pradesh police on Sunday arrested a local pastor in Mylavaram in Krishna District on charges of sexually harassing a 21-year-old girl and assaulting her mother on August 29.
The 45-year-old pastor, identified as M Samuel, who has a 20-year-old daughter himself, was allegedly harassing the 21-year-old to 'fulfill his lust', TNIE reported.
When the girl's mother shifted the victim to a relative's house after learning of the pastor's advances, the accused went to her home on August 29 and allegedly assaulted her mother for doing so.
Following this, the girl's mother filed a complaint and a case was registered against Samuel. He was produced in a local court and sent to judicial remand.
The pastor was booked under sections 323 (Voluntarily causing hurt), 452 (House-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
Last month, horrifying stories of sexual abuse at the hands of 76-year-old Kodavatikanti Joseph tumbled out on August 16, when the Andhra Pradesh Child Welfare Committee (CWC) visited an evangelical institute in Ongole.
The incident took place at a children's home and educational institute in Ongole, when the district’s CWC members were conducting regular checks.
When DCWC members asked the students if they had any concerns that they could address, several girls started speaking up one after the other, about the sexual abuse they faced from the pastor on a regular basis. They also alleged that he frequently showed them pornographic videos against their wishes.
Ongole Two Town Inspector Suresh Kumar Reddy told the media that a case was registered under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) along with Section 10 (Aggravated sexual assault), 12 (Sexual harassment upon a child) and 14 (Using a child for pornographic purposes) of the POCSO Act.