WINNIPEG 鈥� A Roman Catholic priest in Manitoba has been charged with sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl.
RCMP said they responded Saturday to a call about a girl reportedly being inappropriately touched at a church on a remote First Nation in eastern Manitoba. The Canadian Press is not naming the community in order to protect the identity of the girl.
The girl said she had been asked to help clean the church and was alone with the priest when she was touched, RCMP said.
"She 鈥� told our investigators that when she tried to leave, he forced her to remain in the building," Supt. Scott McMurchy, acting criminal operations officer, told reporters Tuesday.
"Finally able to get free, she ran home and told her mother what happened."
The investigation is in its early stages, McMurchy added, but officers have identified more young people as potential victims.
"Their information is being gathered as we speak."
Arul Savari, 48, was arrested and remains in custody on charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation and forcible confinement.聽
Savari has been in Canada for six years, has also worked in another remote community, Pauingassi First Nation, and has a residence in Winnipeg, McMurchy said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2023
The Canadian Press
