Authorities in West Godavari district have apprehended a pastor and school correspondent, Akumarthi Shaji Jayaraju, on grave charges of rape, which resulted in the victim’s pregnancy. The arrest follows an investigation into an incident that unfolded in the Rayavaram mandal.
AP: Pastor Akumarthi Shaji Jayaraju of Divine Grace Ministries, Machavaram, East Godavari District is running an unauthorized school. He raped a minor student in March 2025, threatened her life, and now she’s pregnant. Police arrested him.
No media mentioned that he’s a Pastor pic.twitter.com/uNDWVelSSe
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) July 31, 2025
According to details provided by Ramachandrapuram trainee DSP P. Pradeepti, Jayaraju, who also oversees the Margadarshi Foundation, a private educational institution in Machavaram, Rayavaram mandal, is accused of sexually assaulting a young girl. The incident reportedly occurred on 26 March of this year. Jayaraju allegedly lured the student from a classroom to his office under the guise of retrieving files. While in the office, he is accused of sexually assaulting her. The victim, reportedly intimidated by threats to her life, initially feared disclosing the assault to anyone.
The alarming situation came to light recently when the girl’s parents observed significant changes in her health. Upon taking her to a hospital for examination, medical professionals confirmed she was five months pregnant. Faced with this revelation, the distressed parents questioned their daughter, who then bravely recounted the abuse she suffered at the hands of the school correspondent.
On the 28th of this month, the victim’s parents filed a formal complaint with the police, demanding stringent action against the accused. Responding swiftly to the complaint, law enforcement registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Jayaraju.
Police successfully located and arrested the absconding suspect, Jayaraju, yesterday at the Kothuru Suburb intersection in Ramachandrapuram mandal. Following his arrest, Jayaraju was presented before a magistrate and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Superintendent of Police B. Krishna Rao, Additional SP Prasad, and Ramachandrapuram DSP Raghuveer commended the police personnel and staff for their diligent efforts and successful apprehension of the accused in this sensitive case.
(With inputs from AP7am News)
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