Unidentified miscreants vandalised a church in Karnataka’s Periyapatna town on Tuesday and broke open three donation boxes, police said.
The incident took place at some point during the day when there was no one in the town’s St Mary’s church, Periyapatna police inspector B Sridhar said.
The officer said the priest, who had gone to Mysuru city a little over 50km away after celebrating Christmas, returned on Tuesday evening and found it wrecked.
Sridhar said a wooden donation box kept outside the church for offerings by devotees was also missing.
“We are reviewing CCTV camera footage of the nearby areas to identify the individuals,” the officer said, adding that forensic experts have been able to lift some fingerprints from the spot.
A devotee, Augustine, said a statute of baby Jesus was also smashed by the miscreants. It has hurt the community’s sentiments, he added.
Mysuru additional superintendent of police BN Nandini said this did not appear to be an attack on the church but the police investigation at this stage was probing all angles.
She said the miscreants did not touch the 10-12 idols of Jesus and Mary in the church and smashed the idol of baby Jesus while looking for money or other valuables.
{{/usCountry}}She said the miscreants did not touch the 10-12 idols of Jesus and Mary in the church and smashed the idol of baby Jesus while looking for money or other valuables.
{{/usCountry}}“However, we are probing regarding both angles,” she added.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered under sections 295 A (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 380 (theft at a dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code.
Mysuru superintendent of police (SP) Seema Latkar visited the church and is supervising the probe. She said the case was being investigated to identify the miscreants.