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Father Siprian Pinto, the Parish Priest of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, was remanded to judicial custody by a local magistrate on Sunday following his arrest in connection with the alleged sexual harassment of minors.
The Mangaluru South Police had registered a case against the accused on October 16 under Sections 8 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The action followed a complaint lodged by a 14-year-old boy, who alleged that the priest repeatedly subjected him to sexual harassment inside the church premises starting from August 14, 2026. The victim also informed police that at least four other boys of similar age were subjected to comparable abuse. Following a preliminary investigation, law enforcement agencies took Fr. Siprian Pinto into custody on October 18, 2026. Upon completion of initial interrogation and procedural formalities, the police produced him before the designated court, where the magistrate ordered his remand in judicial custody as legal proceedings continue, said Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy. Earlier in August, a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against a father and a relative for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl, police said. The case was registered based on the statement given by the girl during counselling. According to police, the girl alleged that she was subjected to inappropriate behaviour and sexual abuse by her father when she was younger. It is said that after the matter came to the notice of her mother, the girl and her elder sister were sent to stay at a relative's house. The girl further alleged that during her stay at the relative's house, a priest also sexually assaulted her. Based on the girl's statement, police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 75(2) and 65(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 4, 8 and 10 of the POCSO Act. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
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