A Malaysian TV host and actress recently shared her nightmarish experience of being molested at a place of worship in Selangor.
In her viral Instagram post, Lishalliny Kanaran summoned the courage to share a supposedly spiritual turning point for her that turned into an unexpected betrayal at a temple in Sepang, Selangor.
Lishalliny claimed that she was molested by a priest during a ritual, in which the latter allegedly put his hands into her blouse and groped her.
The actress said that she was asked to meet the priest in his office, where he offered to perform a blessing with “holy water” and offer her a protective string, which came from India. The priest also claimed that this blessing was not for “ordinary people” shortly before he allegedly told Lishalliny to lift her Punjabi.
Lishalliny, however, refused and said she could not do so as her blouse was tight, which upset the priest, who scolded her for her dressing.
“What kind of person dresses tight like this?”
The priest continued with his “blessings” by holding Lishalliny’s head while chanting some words, which the woman assumed were prayers. Until he allegedly molested her.
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“Without warning, he put his hands inside my blouse”
Lishalliny knew that whatever was going on was not right, but she couldn’t move. The priest then left and told her that it would be a lucky week for her. Haunted by the trauma, she kept the incident to herself for nearly two weeks before confiding in her mother on July 4. The family immediately lodged a police report.
When they returned to the temple to confront the management, she alleged that temple officials claimed the priest had already left and that a similar complaint had been made against him previously, yet no action had been taken.
“The chairman said he had only met the priest once and claimed not to know where he had gone,” she alleged.
Lishalliny said her decision to speak out was not to victimise herself, but to send a message to others who may have gone through similar abuse.
PDRM is on the hunt for the suspect
Sepang Police Chief Norhizam Bahaman stated that his department received a report from the victim last Friday (July 4). According to him, initial investigations found that the suspect was working temporarily at the temple, replacing the head monk who was abroad.
“The suspect used his modus operandi by giving the victim prayer water by sprinkling it on her face and body before committing the obscene acts.”
The case is being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which is an offence of indecent assault that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years or a fine or whipping, or any two of these punishments if convicted, reported Malaysia Gazette.
Also read: 21yo M’sian Student Promoting Her Book on Sexual Abuse Gets Told Her Outfit is ‘Sexually Arousing’
