Vicar accused of molesting girl arrested from Nagercoil

A vicar of a local church, accused of allegedly molesting a nine-year-old girl, was arrested from the premises of the Nagercoil Railway station today and is being brought here, police said.
The accused Raju Kokkan, Vicar of St. Paul's Catholic Church at Thaikkattussery near here was booked under IPC Section 376 (punishment for rape), provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act-2012 and the IT Act 2000 following complaints from the parents of the victim, they said.
The parents had lodged a complaint stating that their daughter was sexually harassed by the vicar at the Church where she taking lessons for the 'Holy Communion', a church ceremony, police said.

The vicar had offered her vestments for receiving the Holy Communion free of cost before allegedly molesting her. He also allegedly took nude photographs of the girl, they said.