Andhra Pradesh: Church priest rapes minor girl and sets her ablaze
A. Srinivasa Rao | Hyderabad, July 1, 2011 | Updated 08:01 IST
Afraid that she had died, Ajay poured kerosene on her, set her ablaze and fled. Neighbours, who heard Mounika’s cries, rescued her and rushed her to a hospital in Chilakaluripet, from where she was shifted to Guntur.
The police said the pastor’s uncle and aunt – Steven and Ratna Prashanti – then forced Mounika to give a declaration to the magistrate that she had suffered burns while cooking in the house.
But Mounika’s parents complained to Guntur (rural) superintendent of police Ravichandra about the dying declaration given under force and Ajay was arrested.
Ajay’s wife had been staying separately. In her absence, he lured Mounika into a relationship. The girl, who completed Class X recently, was pressuring him to marry her, the police said.