TN: Pastor arrested for sexually assaulting two minors, sent to judicial custody till April 25
Chennai: A pastor from Coimbatore, who had been absconding after being accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls, was arrested by a special team of the Tamil Nadu Police and remanded to judicial custody till April 25.
The accused, John Jebaraj (37), a pastor of Kings Generation Church located on Cross Cut Road in Coimbatore, was apprehended from Munnar in Kerala, where he had been hiding to evade arrest.
Acting on a tip-off, a special team led by Inspector R. Arjun Kumar tracked him down and brought him back to Coimbatore on Sunday.
He was booked by the All Women Police Station, Coimbatore Central, under multiple sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following allegations of sexual assault on two girls aged 17 and 14.
The incident allegedly took place on May 21, 2024, during a function at Jebaraj’s residence in GN Mills.
One of the victims, adopted by the pastor’s father-in-law, reportedly confided in a relative about the trauma she underwent, leading to the filing of the complaint.
The second victim, aged 14, is said to be the pastor’s neighbour.
Jebaraj, known for his Christian devotional concerts and significant youth following on social media, was associated with Levi Ministries, a prominent Christian organisation.
As the pastor remained untraceable after the case was registered, Coimbatore City Police Commissioner A. Saravana Sundar constituted three special teams under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police T. H. Ganesh to track him.
A lookout notice was also issued to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Following his arrest, Jebaraj was taken to the Gandhipuram Central Women’s Police Station for interrogation. Later, he was produced before a judicial magistrate and remanded to custody until April 25.