this heinous crime on two girls, and misused his position. He should never be allowed to ever abuse a girl."

Sanil reportedly raped the minor thrice over the years. The first time was in 2013, after the Christmas Carols were sung at the Church. The second time was in 2014, where the pastor raped the minor at her residence. The third time was at his residence.

While he has been locked up for life now, Sanil is already in jail, serving a 40-year sentence for raping a 12-year-old multiple times, over a period of two months. The pastor was convicted in March 2016 in the first case.

He was given two 20-year sentences, to be served concurrently, one under Section 6 of the POCSO act and another under IPC 376(2)(f). Heis currently lodged at the Viyyur central jail.

According to police officials, Sanil maintained a good relationship with the parents of both victims, which is how he got access to the children. Shockingly, both the minor victims are also from the same school.

Sanil, a pastor at the Salvation Army Church in Peechi, hails from Nedunkandam of Kottayam. The Salvation Army is a Christian denomination of the church which follows a quasi-military fashion.

The current case

As per a report, the pastor raped the minor girl several times between 2013 and 2016. The girl, who belongs to a scheduled caste community, had been too scared to inform anyone for months.

She finally opened up about the atrocities to her teacher, who was also a counselor in the school.

The first case

While handing out two