Three arrested for abetting rape suspect

Nuns and priest in Kerala surrender to state’s authorities

NEW DELHI // Two nuns and a priest accused of covering up the birth of a baby born to a teenage girl who was allegedly raped by another priest have been arrested in India, police said yesterday.

All three surrendered to police in the southern state of Kerala, where they were being questioned over allegations they hid the birth at a hospital run by the Catholic church and took the baby to an orphanage.

Under Indian law, hospitals and orphanages must report all teenage pregnancies and births to the authorities.

They surrendered two weeks after Robin Vadakkumchery was arrested on charges of raping the 16- year- old, who gave birth in February.

Six people believed to have helped the victim are still want- ed. The girl told investigators that the priest raped her at a church-run school last year.

She and her family said they were unaware of the pregnancy until she complained of stomach pain and was taken to hospital, where she gave birth.

A child rights organisation tipped off police officers about the delivery, triggering an investigation.

It is not the first time the Catholic church in Kerala has faced accusations of sexual abuse.

Two autobiographies written by former Catholic nuns have in recent years revealed the extent of sexual exploitation by priests and the prevalence of same-sex relations in convents.

Last year, a pastor attached to the Salvation Army was sentenced to 40 years in prison by a Kerala court for raping a 12-yearold girl in 2014.

Nearly one-fifth of the 34 million people in Kerala are Christians.