Kerala police interrogate Bishop Franco Mulakkal in connection with a rape case of nun

NewsBharati    14-Aug-2018
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Jalandhar, August 14: Taking a step ahead in a rape case of a 44-year-old Catholic nun, the Kerala police on Monday interrogated the prime accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

 

This comes after a police team from Kerala headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) K Subhash reached Jalandhar on Friday last week and recorded statements of seven people including priests and nuns associated with the Jalandhar diocese. The police team also quizzed Father Antony and Jalandhar Diocese PRO Father Peter at the Police Lines with regard to the case.

Notably, DSP K Subhash yesterday interrogated Bishop Mulakkal and collected his statement. Talking to the reporters, he said that the Bishop’s version of the whole case is being verified and steps were being taken to collect maximum evidence.

Meanwhile, media persons alleged that they were assaulted and their cameras were broken by a group of private security guards at Bishop Franco Mulakkal’s residence in Jalandhar yesterday while they tried to speak to the Bishop themselves.

In June this year, a 44-year-old nun staying in a convent in Kerala's Kuruvilangad had made a police complaint claiming that Bishop Mulakkal had physically assaulted her. According to the complaint of nun, Franco Mulakkal, who is a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and later sexually exploited her 14 times.

Nun, who belongs to an institution that functions under the Jalandhar diocese lodged a complaint before the Kottayam district police chief Harisankar. According to the nun, she had earlier complained about the incident to the Church authorities but no action was taken. However, she was forced to move a police complaint after the Church took no action on her complaint.

On the other side, Bishop Mulakkal has also filed a complaint against the nun in Kottayam police station in front of SP alleging that she was blackmailing him after he initiated disciplinary action against her, including transferring her from the present institution.

A month later complaint was registered, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar Diocese tried to buy a silence of a 44-year-old Catholic nun who charged him of rape by paying her Rs 5 crores. An audio clip of the same has been released in public domain.

The audio clip revealed a Kerala priest mediating with the victim’s companion, who is also a nun, on the bishop's behalf. The priest could be heard trying to convince the nun to ask her friend to withdraw the police complaint against Bishop Mulakkal and also promising the victim property and a better 'posting' in the diocese in return. He further offered a sum of Rs 5 crore.