T’puram: Kattakada police on Monday arrested a 30-year-old temple priest for allegedly raping a woman on the false promise of marriage and cheating her of around Rs 7 lakh.The accused a native of Thoongampara, had worked as a priest at several temples, including Subrahmanya Temple at Anakode, police said.According to police, the accused befriended the woman and developed a close relationship with her by assuring her that he would marry her. Police alleged that the accused repeatedly sexually exploited her on the assurance of marriage but later refused to fulfil the promise.The complainant also alleged that the accused collected nearly Rs 7 lakh from her over time on various pretexts. She approached the police after allegedly discovering that he was maintaining relationships with other women and had deceived her.Based on her complaint, police registered a case under relevant provisions of BNS, including charges of rape and cheating. The accused was taken into custody following a probe and formally arrested.Police said they are verifying the financial transactions between the accused and the complainant to establish whether the money was dishonestly obtained through deception.The accused was produced before a local court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Police said further probe is under way to determine whether the accused employed similar modus operandi against other women.
