Put his hands inside my blouse: Malaysian model says Hindu priest molested her

A model in Malaysia has accused a Hindu priest of sexually assaulting her under the pretext of giving her blessings at a temple. The model, Lishalliny Kanaran, detailed the ordeal in a social media post and said the incident took place last Saturday at Mariamman Temple in Sepang.

The police launched a manhunt for the Hindu priest after she went public with her allegations, the South China Morning Post reported. Kanaran was crowned Miss Grand Malaysia in 2021.

She also alleged that she received threats from the investigating officer, who she claimed warned her against publicising the assault, saying, “If you do, it will be your fault [and] you’ll be blamed.”

After that, she decided to go public and detailed the ordeal on social media.

“There's a priest there who would usually guide me through the rituals, since I'm new to all this. I don't know much, and I've always appreciated his help,” she recalled.

“On that day, while I was praying, he approached me and told me he had some holy water and a protective string to tie for me; a blessing, he said.”

She further claimed that she felt uneasy about following the priest to his office but did so anyway.

“Inside the office, he asked me to sit while he stood,” she recalled. “He poured something, a very strong-smelling liquid, like rose or flower essence into the holy water. He said it was from India, and that they don't usually give it to ordinary people.”

She alleged that the priest kept splashing water on her face until a point where she could not even open her eyes. Then he allegedly asked her to lift her suit. When she refused, he lashed out at her for wearing a tight outfit and splashed the water again and stood behind her. She alleged that he then placed his hands inside her blouse and touched her inappropriately.

“Then, without warning, he put his hands inside my blouse, into my bra, and started touching me inappropriately.”

“My brain knew everything about that moment was wrong and yet I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I froze. And I still don’t understand why,” she said.

She said she was in a state of shock for the next few days and could not believe that she was molested by a priest inside a temple.

“That betrayal is what cuts the deepest. I won't go into more detail. But I was MOLESTED by that priest. And I couldn't react,” she said.

WHAT POLICE SAID

The suspect is believed to be an Indian national temporarily officiating at the temple during the absence of its resident priest, the report said quoting Sepang district police chief Norhizam Bahaman.

The suspect’s modus operandi was allegedly to sprinkle holy water on the victim’s face and body before proceeding to molest her
Norhizam Bahaman, Sepang district police chief

“The suspect’s modus operandi was allegedly to sprinkle holy water on the victim’s face and body before proceeding to molest her,” Norhizam said.

- Ends