CHENNAI: A court in Chengalpet has sentenced a pastor to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for abducting and raping a 17-year-old girl.

According to the prosecution, David Inbaraj, 35, was a pastor at a church in West Tambaram. Kalaiarasi (name changed), a resident of the area, visited the church regularly.

Later, the pastor started visiting her house under the pretext of conducting prayers and developed a relationship with her.

Inbaraj, who had already been married and had a child, eloped with the girl on March 16, 2013.

Based on the complaint of her father, the Tambaram police registered a case against the pastor for rape and abduction.

Meanwhile, the pastor’s wife, Sonia, had filed a petition in the Madras high court seeking its intervention to find her missing husband.

On December 12, 2013, police rescued the minor girl from Bangalore. Inquiries revealed that after abducting Kalaiarasi, the pastor had taken her to Nagaland and Meghalaya. Later, he brought her to Karnataka.

Sessions court judge S Ananthi said the prosecution had proved its case against the pastor beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Inbaraj.

