Mangaluru priest arrested over alleged sexual abuse of minor boys

MANGALURU: A priest attached to a church in Mangaluru has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing minor boys, with police initiating action after a Mysuru-based child rights organisation brought the allegations to their attention.

The accused, Father Cyprian Pinto, who has been in service since 1988, was associated with St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia. He was arrested on Sunday from a relative’s residence, police said.

The case came to light after Odanadi, an NGO based in Mysuru, approached Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy. Police subsequently met the alleged victims and facilitated the registration of a complaint. Preliminary inquiries indicate that at least five children may have been subjected to sexual abuse.

The complaint refers to separate incidents in which the priest allegedly lured a minor boy with chocolates, made inappropriate remarks and took him into a room near the church sacristy. In another incident on August 14, a minor who had visited the church for a discussion related to prayer was allegedly taken to the receptionist’s room and inappropriately touched.

K.V. Stanley, co-founder of Odanadi, alleged that the matter had been brought to the attention of the Mangaluru diocese in August. Instead of reporting the allegations to the competent authorities, the diocese allegedly constituted an internal inquiry committee and placed the priest on administrative leave, he said.

Stanley said the parents subsequently wrote to child protection authorities but did not receive an immediate response. The family then approached Odanadi, which took up the matter with the police commissioner, leading to the filing of a formal complaint and the subsequent arrest.

Police have withheld the identities of the children to protect their privacy.