Goa News: Pastor Dominic D’Souza arrested on charges of ‘conversion’, ‘black magic’

Mapusa: Mapusa police on Monday arrested Siolim pastor Dominic D’Souza for his alleged involvement in converting people to Christianity through ‘allurement’ and ‘black magic’. According to Mapusa Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jivba Dalvi, Pastor Dominic D’Souza of Five Pillars Church was arrested by the police on Monday morning. The arrest was made following a complaint filed by Vadivel B, son of Balasubramaniam, a native of Tamil Nadu but currently residing in Curti-Ponda. “An FIR has been registered against the pastor and his wife under sections 153-A, 295-A and 506 (ii) of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 34 IPC, Sections 3, 4 and 7 of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954. Has been done. Joan Mascarenhas and unidentified members belonging to the Five Pillars Church, Sodiem-Siolim,” Dalvi said. This is the third offense registered against the priest under the same sections and six more offenses under different sections are already registered. Dalvi said, overall there are nine crimes registered against him. “The D’Souzas and other members of the church tried to lure me to leave my religion and they succeeded in forcing me to accept Christianity by exposing me to the worst influences of Hinduism. I foiled his efforts by not trusting him, but he made every effort to convince me and get me converted,” Vadivel said in his complaint. The complainant said that on December 31, around 7.10-7.15 pm, he ‘went to Five Pillars Church, Sodiem-Seolim for Mass’ and on entering the church, Pastor Dominic D’Souza, his wife Joan, who was present there, asked him The purpose of their journey. He said he was a Hindu and had gone to the church for mass, upon which the sister accompanying the priest told him that he would first have to go to the Five Pillars Church office and leave all his belongings. Hinduism and only then will they allow it en masse. He further said that the pastor’s wife Joan used some water which he threw on him saying, “They are cleaning me.”