'I was r*ped in Karnataka church', says victim after 12 yrs

Bengaluru, July 27: In a shocking case, a r*pe survivor has approached the Karnataka Police, claiming s*xual assault in a church 12 years ago. Following the complaint, the police lodged a case against eight persons, police said on Wednesday.

According to police, among the eight accused, cases against six have been filed for attempting to hush up the case. The incident happened in 2010 in the church of Kaveri Layout near Doddabettahalli in Bengaluru's Vidyaranyapura locality, police said.

When the victim was 6 years of age, the victim was left at the Church by her parents and before leaving for work. Everyday this was the routine and they picked her up after returning from work.

The victim alleged that accused Simon Peter took advantage of the situation in the church. He showed her obscene pictures and s*xually assaulted her. She told police that the accused Simon Peter continued to assault her till she attained the age of 14 years.

The victim, who could not bear the s*xual assault, had revealed this to Smauel D'souza, who also stayed in the church. The couple had reprimanded the accused person and warned him not to bother the victim.

The complainant has told the police that Samuel D'souza, with whom she had confessed about her ordeal, started blackmailing her. The second accused threatened the girl that he would make her ordeal public and also r*ped her for 2 years without raising any suspicion in the church or to his wife.

The girl, who was depressed after continuous s*xual assaults, had lodged a complaint with the police after counselling and treatment. The six accused persons, even after coming to know of the incident of rape tried to conceal the matter, police said.

The accused have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, gang-r*pe and other sections. Further investigation is on.