Twenty children, including 8 girls and 12 boys, aged between 4-15 were rescued by the Kathua district and police authorities from inside an illegal orphanage managed by Father Anthony from Kerala late Friday evening.
The raid was conducted by the district authorities after receiving complaints of sexual harassment of minor girls inside the premises located in a thickly populated lane of ward no 14 in Kathua.
Assistant commissioner, Revenue (Kathua) Jitendra Mishra, who led the team of officers during the raid told media persons, "20 children have been rescued from inside the home run by Father Anthony".
He said police and district officers carried out the raid inside the premises and recovered several items including computer, magazines, and other literature. The custody of Father Anthony has been handed over to the police for carrying out further investigations in the case. ACR, Kathua Jitendra Mishra also claimed the orphanage was running illegally and was not registered with any district authority in Kathua.
He said the children have been sent to Bal Ashram and Nari Niketan and their parents would be contacted to further ascertain the details how these children arrived there.
Meanwhile, several minor girls recorded their statements alleging sexual harassment at the hands of Father Anthony. According to senior officers who participated in the raid, another female member staying in the house had gone to Kerala after floods wreaked havoc in the region.