📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / BHARATHESHA ALASANDEMAJALU
Crime
Mangaluru Priest Arrested for Luring and Sexually Abusing Five Boys with Chocolates
✍️ India Today
🗓 19 Oct 2026, 05:02 AM
👁 12
A priest in Mangaluru was taken into custody after police say he enticed five boys with chocolates and sexually assaulted them.
Mangalore police have arrested a Catholic priest accused of luring five minor boys with chocolates and then sexually abusing them, according to a report by India Today. The alleged incidents took place in the city of Mangaluru, Karnataka, and came to light after the victims or their guardians reported the matter to authorities.
Investigators said the priest used sweets as a lure to gain the children’s trust before committing the assaults. Following the complaints, a team of police officers conducted a raid, seized relevant evidence, and placed the cleric in custody pending further inquiry.
The arrest underscores a growing focus by law‑enforcement agencies on safeguarding minors from abuse, irrespective of the perpetrator’s religious standing. Officials have not disclosed the priest’s name pending formal charges, and the case will be forwarded to the district court for trial under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Investigators said the priest used sweets as a lure to gain the children’s trust before committing the assaults. Following the complaints, a team of police officers conducted a raid, seized relevant evidence, and placed the cleric in custody pending further inquiry.
The arrest underscores a growing focus by law‑enforcement agencies on safeguarding minors from abuse, irrespective of the perpetrator’s religious standing. Officials have not disclosed the priest’s name pending formal charges, and the case will be forwarded to the district court for trial under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.