Senior Sri Lankan monk arrested for child abuse | Crime Stories

Pallegama Hemarathana is accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl in a temple.

A prominent Buddhist monk has been arrested in Sri Lanka for raping an 11-year-old girl, in the biggest case involving a local religious leader.

Authorities took 71-year-old Pallegama Hemarathana into custody on Saturday from a private hospital in the capital Colombo, where he had been seen for treatment while the case against him continued.

Hemarathana is accused of committing atrocities in 2022 at the most revered temple in Anuradhapura, where he is the head priest.

Officials say the victim’s mother has also been arrested for helping the monk.

“We will be directed by the judge to take action,” he said on Saturday.

Hemarathana, who was subject to a travel ban, was arrested by order of a senior judge in Anuradhapura, after child welfare officials cited complaints about the delay in his arrest, reported the Sri Lanka Daily News. It said the court ordered the police to arrest Hemarathana and bring him to court “soon”.

There have been several cases of religious leaders abusing children in Sri Lanka, but the latest arrest involves the most senior monk accused of the crime.

Last month, 22 monks were arrested at Colombo’s airport after 110kg (242lbs) of marijuana were found hidden in their bags, the largest drug ever found at the airport.