A priest has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl in Itireleng informal settlement near Laudium, Pretoria police said.
The 25-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday at about 1a.m. after allegedly abducting the teenage girl at the weekend and repeatedly raping her, a police sergeant said.
According to Times Live, the victim was sent to a tuck shop by her elder sister at about 11.30am on Saturday. While on the errand, she saw the priest who told her to go to a certain shack in the area.
The victim's family reportedly attends the priest's parish and the accused clergyman is believed to be close friends with the victim's father.
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It was gathered that the girl obeyed the priest and walked to the shack, she was allegedly followed by the priest who raped and locked her inside.
When her father returned home and noticed she was not home yet her family opened a missing persons case at the police station.
"The man [priest] assisted the family to search for her and later went back to the shack and repeatedly raped her," police sergeant Poortman said.
On Monday around 9p.m. he told her he would release her on condition that she go to a particular woman's home.
Upon her arrival at the woman's home she would tell her that she had gone to her friend's house in Mamelodi and needed someone to accompany her back home safely.
After questioning by her family, the girl told them she had been kidnapped and raped by the priest, Poortman said.
A kidnapping and rape case was opened on Tuesday morning. The man was arrested on Wednesday.
He appeared in court on Thursday. Details of his appearance were not yet known.