Look out circular issued for Chennai temple priest booked in sexual harassment case

CHENNAI: Nearly ten days after the Chennai Police had booked a temple priest on charges of sexual harassment, a look out circular has been issued to prevent him from escaping from India. 

The city police decided to issue a LoC for the priest, Karthik Munusamy, as he remains untraceable. Karthik had allegedly attempted to push his live-in partner into prostitution and assaulted her often.

As per the victim's complaint, she was an engineering graduate who had come to the city in 2021 for employment and was working for a private television channel. Both her parents were dead and she was living alone.

Around that time, she got acquainted with Karthik, a priest at a temple in Parry's Corner. The priest had given her preferential treatment and offered to drop her off at home one day. Upon reaching her home, he allegedly spiked her drink and raped her. When the woman questioned him, he reassured her that he liked her and would marry her. He further told her that he was separated from his wife and that both their fortunes would be good if they were together.

In the following days, the complainant and the priest started living together. In February 2023, he forced her to undergo an abortion at a private hospital in Vadapalani. 

Subsequently, the priest brought a man home claiming he was a VIP, and left the house after a while, asking the woman to give him company. The guest had allegedly tried to misbehave with her, after which she cried and called the priest, who consoled her.

After the incident, the priest started assaulting her often, stating that she was a hindrance to his fortunes as she did not cooperate with the guest.

Based on a complaint by the woman, the Virugambakkam AWPS (All Women Police Station) has registered a case under various sections including Section 312 (voluntarily causing a woman with a child to miscarry) and is investigating the matter.