JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir police arrested the owner of an unregistered orphanage in Kathua district and rescued 20 children, including eight girls, during a raid on the facility on Friday. Sources said “unlawful” activities were being carried out at the home.“The civil administration and police conducted the raid after some children complained that they were being harassed and tortured at the facility in Parli-Pand run by a pastor from Kerala,” police said, adding that the children include are from Jammu and neighbouring states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh The accused, Antony Thomas, was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He has denied all allegations against him.“A total of 20 children in the age group of 5 to 16 are staying at the shelter, out of which two have gone to their native places,” a cop said, adding that Thomas had allegedly abused the children on several occasions.Medical reports of the children are awaited to ascertain if they were sexually abused or not. They are being given medical treatment and counselling sessions, police said.“We had received some complaints and the alleged exploitation of the children was also highlighted by some locals. During the raid, Thomas failed to produce any document for running the centre,” Kathua deputy commissioner Rohit Khajuria said, adding that the motive behind operating the facility is under investigation.The children have been shifted to state government-run Bal Ashram and Nari Niketan temporarily, while authorities try to contact their family members.