Mapusa: The Mapusa Police on Monday arrested Pastor Domnic D’Souza of Siolim for his alleged involvement in conversion of people to Christianity through ‘inducement’ and ‘black magic’.
According to Mapusa Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Jivba Dalvi, Five Pillars Church Pastor Domnic D’Souza was arrested by the police early Monday morning.
The arrest was made after a complaint was lodged by one Vadivel B, son of Balasubramaniam, a native of Tamil Nadu, but presently residing at Curti-Ponda.
“An FIR under Sections 153-A, 295-A and 506 (ii) read with 34 IPC, Section 3, 4 and 7 of The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954, has been registered against the Pastor, his wife Joan Mascarenhas and unknown members attached to the Five Pillars Church, Sodiem-Siolim,” said Dalvi.
This is the third offence registered against the Pastor on similar sections and six more offences under different sections are already registered. In all, nine offences are registered against him, Dalvi said.
“The D’Souza couple and other members of the church tried to lure me to leave my religion and they will succeed in forcing me to accept Christianity by telling me worst effects of Hindu religion. I foiled their attempt by not believing in them, but they had made all-out efforts to convince me and convert me,” Vadivel has stated in his complaint.
The complainant stated that on December 31, at around 7.10-7.15 pm, he ‘visited Five Pillars Church, Sodiem-Siolim, for mass’ and on entering the church Pastor Domnic D’Souza, his wife Joan, who were present, asked him the purpose of his visit. He said that he was a Hindu and had visited the church for mass, to which, the sister present with the pastor asked him that he has to first visit the Five Pillars Church office and that he will have to leave all his articles which are of Hindu religion and only then they will allow him for mass.
He further stated that the Pastor’s wife Joan used some water which they threw on him saying, “They are cleaning me.”
