A Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a Bangladeshi woman with British citizenship and stealing her jewellery and money surrendered before a court at Vaikom in Kerala’s Kottayam district on Friday.
The 42-year-old woman said in a complaint lodged with the police in Kaduthuruthy, 40 kilometers east of Kochi, on Wednesday that Fr Thomas Thanninilkkum Thadathil (44), Vicar of the St Mathews Church at Perumthuruth, Kallara, with whom she had developed a relationship through Facebook, had abused her sexually at his parsonage and several other places.
She also told the police that the priest had stolen Rs 16,000, seven-and-a-half sovereigns of gold and diamond jewellery from her. The police have registered a case on the basis of the complaint from the woman, who was subjected to medical examination. The Pala Diocese of the Church has removed Fr Thomas from his priestly duties and from the Church Vicar’s position.
The priest, who had gone to hiding after the complaint came up against him, had written a letter to the police the other day in which he rejected the charges leveled by the woman and alleged that her objective was to extort money from him by trapping him in the fake case. He has rejected all the charges leveled by the Bangladeshi woman.
According to the woman, she had arrived at Perumthuruth on January 7 in accordance with the instructions of the priest, who had promised to marry her, along with a Zimbabwe national. She said the priest then sexually abused her at the parsonage of the church at Perumthuruth and hotels at other places.
As per the complaint, she went back after a while but returned to Kerala on February 12. While they were at a resort at Kumarakom, a famous tourist destination in Kottayam district, Fr Thomas locked the room from outside and disappeared with her money and jewellery when she was taking a bath, she told the police.
When the resort staff contacted the priest, he promised to be back but never turned up, she said. It was after this that she approached the police. The Bangladeshi woman is presently lodged at a Woman’s Home at Kallara. The Church’s Pala Diocese has informed the police that it is prepared to fully cooperate with the inquiries.