A 40-year-old Christian priest was arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually assaulting inmates of a boys' home here, police said.

George alias Jerry was arrested on a complaint lodged by the parents of the children who ran away from the home in Perumbadom near here on Saturday night when he allegedly attempted to sexually assault them, they said.

He was the director of the boys' home which provided shelter and education for children from poor families.

The issue came to light when seven children ran away from the home and called their parents from a phone with the help of a person whom they met on a street Saturday night, police said.

The priest has been charged under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said.