In a shocking incident, a pastor was arrested for cheating minor children and forcing them into begging at traffic signals in IT Corridor in Hyderabad on Thursday.

According to the police, the accused M James used to run an orphanage in Ameenpur area on the city outskirts. He use to force children for begging on the pretext of providing education.

Gachibowli Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Ch Venkatesh said “James deployed at least four children at different locations under Gachibowli Police Station limits with a donation box and made them seek alms on the pretext of contributing money for providing education to orphans. Acting on a tip-off, police asked the children about the orphanage, who informed them about James stating that he had asked them to seek donations from motorists in the name of providing education to children at the orphanage.”

Gachibowli and Ramachandrapuram police stations team jointly went to Ameenpur and found that around 20 children, all of whom were below 14 years of age, were at the orphanage run by James.

“Some of them were orphans, while others had parents, who could not afford to send their wards to school,” he said.

“Gachibowli police booked James under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act as well as IPC section 420, who was subsequently arrested,” the SI added.

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BY M. DIVYA SRI