Priest arrested for alleged exorcism rape

CH NEWS, CHIKKAMAGALUR Police have arrested Satish Patri, who was accused of repeatedly raping a woman under the pretext of exorcism and had been absconding for the past one and a half months. The district police team has succeeded in arresting the accused in JP Nagar, Bengaluru. The case has been the subject of intense debate in the Malnad region, with public outrage against such acts committed in the name of religious faith. A serious allegation has been made that Satish Patri, a temple priest in Mekanahdlu village of Koppa taluk in district, repeatedly raped a woman by convincing her that he would exorcise her from ghosts and demons. The complaint alleges that he sexually assaulted her under the pretext of spiritual rituals and exorcism. Similarly, a shocking allegation has been made in the case that a minor girl was forced to drink chicken blood under the pretext of exorcism. The police have intensified the investigation into this matter. Accused Satish Patri went missing soon after the victim woman filed a complaint at the Koppa police station. Although the police were searching for him at various places, he had been absconding for the past one and a half months. It is learnt that serious cases were registered against him at the Koppa and Narasimharajapura police stations under the Rape and Black Magic Prohibition Acts. After collecting concrete information about the movements of the accused, the police conducted a quick operation in J.P. Nagar, Bengaluru and arrested Satish Patri. This is a significant development in the case that had been challenging for the police. The arrested accused has been taken into custody by the police for further legal proceedings, and further interrogation is likely in connection with the case. If such acts targeting women and children have been committed under the pretext of religious belief and exorcism, there is a demand in the public sphere for strict legal action to be taken against them. District Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar has suspended a constable of Narasimharajapura Police Station from service on charges of leaking confidential information related to the investigation in this case.