Kochi: The Kerala police have arrested another priest accused of raping a woman after threatening to disclose her confessions before him.

Third accused Fr Johnson V Mathew was arrested on Friday and has been taken to Thiruvalla Crime Branch office for questioning.

On Thursday, second accused Fr Job Mathew surrendered before the crime branch deputy superintendent of police (DySP) at Kollam in Kerala and was remanded.

The clergyman surrendered a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of three priests, including that of Fr Job, observing they acted as 'predators' and took 'undue advantage' of the target woman.

The priests - first-accused Abraham Varghese, alias Sony; Job and fourth-accused Jaise K George - had approached the court soon after the crime branch slapped rape charges against four clergymen, including Fr Johnson, named by the alleged victim as her tormentors.

The FIR was registered against the priests by the crime branch after recording the woman's statement.

The woman's husband had last month accused five priests of using his wife's secret confession to 'blackmail and sexually abuse' her.

The name of the fifth cleric was not included for want of substantial evidence.

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