Kasaragod: The Chittarikkal Police have booked Fr Paul Thattuparambil, vicar of St Paul Church at Athirummavu in the hill panchayat of West Eleri, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy repeatedly.

Chittarikkal Station House Officer Inspector Ranjith Raveendran said grave charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were invoked against the priest based on the boy’s statement. After the case was registered, the inspector said, the priest reportedly went into hiding.

Meanwhile, a voice message from a parish official is circulating in WhatsApp groups, claiming that Fr Thattuparambil is being framed. The message urges parishioners to send registered letters with acknowledgement to the Chittarikkal police, vouching for the priest’s character, "because that’s the only thing that can save him".

According to the complaint, Fr Thattuparambil allegedly took the boy, a class XI student, to his parsonage, and also other places, and sodomised him between May 15 and August 13, 2024. The officer said the Childline tipped off the police.

The crime came to light during a counselling session held at the church’s retreat centre, a spiritual facility where believers go to pray, meditate, and seek guidance. The retreat centre counsellors immediately informed Childline.

Although it was claimed that the priest was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, police said that he had gone into hiding after the case was registered.

The accused is likely to approach the court for anticipatory bail. Fr Thattuparambil, a native of Ernakulam, has been the vicar of Athirummavu parish for the past year and a half. Before that, he was posted in a church close to Athirummavu in Kannur district.