Priest arrested for confining and raping 15-year-old in church

Rapid Action Battalion members arrested a priest from Rajshahi Catholic Diocese in Umorpur area of the city last night on charges of confining a 15-year-old in a church for three days and raping her.

The priest -- Prodeep Gregory (41) -- was arrested from the diocese around 11:45pm yesterday, said Additional Superintendent of Police ATM Mynul Islam of Rab-5 this morning.

He was handed over to police within hours of his arrest, he said.

Earlier, the girl's brother filed a case with Tanore Police Station, our Rajshahi staff correspondent reports, quoting Officer-in-Charge of the police station Rakibul Hasan.

Police sent the 15-year-old to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for medical tests. She will also be taken to a magistrate court for recording her statement, the OC said.

In the case, the girl's brother claimed that the priest confined his sister at Mundumala Saint John Merry Tianni Church in Tanore for three days and raped her.

He further said the victim was missing since Saturday morning. The next day, he filed a general diary in this connection.

On Monday, locals saw her on the roof of the church and informed her family.

But the church authorities did not allow any family member to enter the church and also refused to return the girl, her brother said in his statement.

Later, at an arbitration, the priest was found guilty of "exploiting the girl" and he was removed from the post of the church's director, officials of Rajshahi Catholic Diocese said.

He was sent to Rajshahi Catholic Diocese and his title -- priest-- was withdrawn temporarily, said Gervas Rozario, Bishop of the diocese.

Prodeep Gregory, however, denied the allegation of raping the girl when he was interrogated by senior priests, he said.