A Kanchipuram priest has been accused of having sex with at least four women while performing the rites of worship, in what has become known as the Kanchipuram Temple Priest Scandal. The priest allegedly has recorded his act, resulting in 19 videos, 90 minutes each, which reportedly would be circulated on the Internet and via MMS.http://blog.taragana.com/n/kanchipuram-priest-scandal-revealed-231054/
The acts of the priest, identified as 35 year old “Deva-nathan”, were discovered after he had had his phone repaired. The repairman copied the videos, and started circulating them on CD. When the police traced back the CDs, Deva-Nathan fled, but surrendered four days later. http://blog.taragana.com/n/kanchipuram-priest-scandal-revealed-231054/
Local residents are outraged about the "unholy" acts that were apparently carried out in the Maheswara Temple. The man is currently in custody, and is accused of threatening and sexually assaulting at least 30 women. One of the women is a 30 year old teacher's wife, who claims to have been drugged, raped and recorded on camera inside the temple, after which the priest blackmailed her with the footage. http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20091205-184084.html As the accusations of obscenity have been expanded with rape and blackmail, the case was transferred to the district crime branch for investigation. There are rumors that CDs with the footage of the priests' acts are circulating in the region. Police are investigating if the priest had an accomplice, who made and sold copies of the CDs.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Temple-town-reels-under-sleaze-scandal/articleshow/5294274.cms
History
The accused priest worked at a well known temple called Maheswara in Kanchipuram, a well known pilgrim location, known as the City of 1000 Temple and famous for its hand woven silk sarees. The Kanchipuram district is located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20091205-184084.html
Kanchipuram
This video shows some sites from the country of India including the city of Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram is home to many temples including the Maheswara temple. The Mahaswara temple is where the alleged attacks took place on at least 30 women. The priest has been accused of threatening, sexually assaulting and having sex with women while preforming religious rites.
References
Fast Facts
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Date
November 17, 2009
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Location
Kanchipuram
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Population
152,984 (2001)
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Country
India
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State
Nadu
