Woman alleges rape since she was a minor, 2 arrested

A woman has filed a police complaint accusing two men of raping her for 10 years since she was 10.

The accused were the 25-year-old son of a church watchman and a 40-year-old teacher attached to the church.

Six others connected to the church, including members of the management board, have also been listed in the complaint for alleged inaction on the woman’s grievance and for stopping her from going to the police.

The East Zone women’s police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested the two accused, a senior police officer said.

The 20-year-old woman, a resident of northeast Bengaluru, is pursuing her graduation in a private college and her father is the priest of a church.

The family came to the city in 2006. Since her parents used to be busy with works related to the church, they used to leave her with the watchman of the church on Sundays.

When she was 10 years old, the watchman’s son started abusing her in the church premises and at his house, according to her complaint. She alleged that he used to show her pornographic material till she was 14. Unable to bear the harassment, she complained to a teacher who used to take Sunday classes for children in the church.

The teacher and his wife warned the watchman’s son against troubling her, but the teacher allegedly abused her for the next two years threatening to expose the abuse by the watchman’s son

The victim’s father quit his church job after learning about the abuse and the woman has to undergo psychiatric treatment to deal with the trauma.

The woman’s family said they tried lodging a complaint with the Yelahanka police, but got no proper response from them.

Later, they filed a complaint before the National Commission for Women and at the East Zone women’s police station.