NEW DELHI -- The priest's dream, police say, was a chain of Hindu worship centers across India, where boys in saffron robes would attract throngs of devotees.
They were also supposed to attract donations. Lots of donations.
So the priest, Prem Dass, kidnapped boys as young as 10 years old, most of them from impoverished families living in Hindu pilgrimage towns, and brought them to New Delhi where he was training them to be preachers, according to police.
"He went after the vulnerable," said Deputy Commissioner of Police H.G.S. Dhaliwal. "He thought that if he had child 'godmen,' then followers would flock to him and he'd be rich." The 50-year-old priest, who insists he is innocent, was arrested earlier this month after one of the boys managed to telephone for help. Five boys were freed.
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1104ap_as_india_kidnapper_priest.html
No comments:
Post a Comment