Cleric held for sexually abusing nearly 35 orphans

Pune, Jul 28: The city police yesterday arrested a cleric for the alleged sexual abuse of two minor boys at an orphanage in Pune’s Katraj area.

The accused, Maulana Rahim, was in charge of the orphanage which housed up to 35 minor children, police sources said.

While the incident is believed to have occurred a fortnight ago, it came to light after the boys (both aged 10) fled the orphanage and narrated their ordeal to an activist for child rights.

The victims also narrated their ordeal before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) at Shivajinagar.