priests priests KOTTAYAM: An accused priest who sexually abused a homemaker by using her confession as a tool for blackmail surrendered before the investigation team in Kollam in Kerala on Thursday. It was Fr Job Mathew who reached the Crime Branch office in Kollam to surrender in the case. The priest is the second accused in the case. The homemaker hailing from Thiruvalla had confessed before this priest which the priest used as a tool to sexually exploit her. The Crime Branch team is interrogating the priest.The Crime Branch team probing the ' confession rape ' case against priests in Orthodox church had registered FIR against four priests. Charges under IPC 354 and 376 for outraging the modesty of woman and rape respectively were levelled in the FIR registered against Abraham Varghese, Jaice K George, Job Mathew and Johnson V Mathew. The case was registered based on the statement of the woman complainant.The high court on Wednesday had rejected the anticipatory bail application of Abraham Varghese, 42, of Mundiappally near Kunnamthanam in Thiruvalla, second accused Job Mathew, 40, of Panthaplavu near Pattazhi in Kollam, and third accused Jaise K George, 35, of Akkikadu near Mallappally in Thiruvalla. Johnson V Mathew was exempted from the rape case when the probe team submitted the FIR in the court.Meanwhile, there are reports that the remaining two priests are planning to approach the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail.Fr Job Mathew has been accused of blackmailing the survivor using her confession secret in 2009.Last month, the woman's husband had accused theof using his wife's confession to 'blackmail' and 'sexually abuse' her.The incident had come to light after an audio clip containing the man's purported conversation with a church official alleging sexual abuse of his wife by thewas widely circulated on social media.Veteran CPI(M) leader and chairman of Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission V S Achuthanandan and the National Commission for Women had written to State DGP Loknath Behara, demanding a probe into the charges.With PTI inputs

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