THOOTHUKUDI: A 32-year-old woman has accused the assistant of a church priest of defrauding her of Rs 5 lakh on the pretext of starting a business. The complainant, S Cathrine (32), is a schoolteacher in Chennai.
According to the complaint filed with the Thoothukudi Rural DSP office, Cathrine was going through a distressed marriage and visited the Divine Mercy Meditation Home in Thoothukudi. The priest directed her to meet his assistant Joshua alias Esaki for assistance with prayer. Joshua advised Cathrine to divorce her husband to restore peace in her family, and the latter complied. After her divorce, the complaint added, Joshua and Cathrine got together. Cathrine had asked Joshua to marry her, but he refused, said the complaint.
Cathrine also alleged that Joshua had borrowed Rs 5 lakh from her on the pretext of starting a business, and has failed to repay it. On Wednesday, Cathrine visited Joshua at the church and staged a protest. She sought the attention of the church administrators to take action against Joshua, before filing a police complaint.