The Crime Branch (CB) of the Kerala Police on Friday opened a preliminary inquiry into the allegation that five clergymen of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church had taken sexual advantage of a member of the laity after allegedly threatening to expose her confessional secrets. State police chief Loknath Behera had ordered the CB probe on a complaint filed by Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) chairperson V.S. Achuthanandan. The National Commission for Women had also flagged up the issue with the State’s law enforcement.

The Crime Branch (CB) of the Kerala Police on Friday opened a preliminary inquiry into the allegation that five clergymen of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church had taken sexual advantage of a member of the laity after allegedly threatening to expose her confessional secrets. State police chief Loknath Behera had ordered the CB probe on a complaint filed by Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) chairperson V.S. Achuthanandan. The National Commission for Women had also flagged up the issue with the State’s law enforcement.