BishopAccountability.org
	Prosecutors: Hindu Priest Raped Teen Parishioner By Tom Hays The Associated Press September 9, 2006 http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1157749201263990.xml&storylist=simetro New York — A Hindu priest tricked a teenage parishioner into having sex with him by convincing her it was part of a religious cleansing ritual, prosecutors said Friday. Ramadhar Ramlal, 59, of Queens, was arraigned Thursday on rape, sexual abuse and other charges alleging he also fondled the girl's younger sister. Bail was set at $50,000. Ramlal, described by authorities as a former police officer from Trinidad who became an ordained Hindu priest, "took advantage of the youngsters and their trust in him by robbing them of their innocence," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement. After recently confiding in a college counselor she had been raped three years ago, the older sister "found the courage to come forward and report the incident to police," Brown said. Calls to Ramlal's attorney and to his office at USA Pandits Parishad in the Jamaica section of Queens were not immediately returned. A criminal complaint alleges that on two occasions in late 2002 and early 2003 Ramlal lured the rape victim, then 16, into meeting him at a friend's apartment by saying he could perform a ritual that would solve her problems with her parents. The first time, she told investigators, Ramlal instructed her to take her clothes off and lie face-up on a white sheet on the floor. While chanting, he placed coins on various parts of her body and massaged her with oil before sexually abusing her with a string tied to his finger, she said. When she told him she felt uncomfortable, he covered her eyes with a towel, she said. He later burned the string in a bowl, she added. About two months later, Ramlal picked up the girl in a car and drove her to a motel, she said. He performed a similar rite before raping her, she said. "Now I have to do this to complete the ritual," he said, according to the victim. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this." A criminal complaint also alleges Ramlal fondled the younger sister, then 13, in his church. A judge granted orders of protection barring Ramlal from going near the girls and scheduled another court date for Sept. 25.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.