By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, June 21, 2023: Police in Bengaluru on June 21 arrested a person suspected to be involved in the break in of a Catholic church in the southern Indian city.
An intruder armed with a hammer and crowbar forcibly entered the premises of St. Pius X Church at Kamanahalli Road in East Bengaluru in the early hours of the day.
“The assailant caused extensive damage to the main door, ransacked the altar, and engaged in acts of desecration, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The pulpit suffered significant damage, with candle stands and flower vases scattered throughout the area,” says a press release from Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore.
The local police, guided by Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Division) Bimashanker Guled, apprehended one Tom Mathew, a 29-year-old resident of Lingarajapuram and recovered from his possession the weapons used for the break in.
A First Information Report has been filed, initiating the legal process.
The archbishop’s statement says preliminary investigations suspect the accused could be mentally deranged and was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of his arrest.
“It has also come to light that he is grappling with serious family issues.,” the prelate adds.
He also says the vandalism and desecration of the church has “deeply saddened the parish community.”
They have expressed gratitude to police for their “prompt response and diligent efforts in apprehending the suspect.”
Parish priest Father Jayakaran has requested the public to respect the privacy of the congregation during this challenging time. The community is coming together to restore the church to its former state and to heal from the emotional impact of this incident, the archbishop says.
Police officer Guled said the suspect’s father had left them four years ago and he was hurt and emotionally unstable since then.
Mathew’s mother used to attend the St Pius X Church regularly, reports https news9live.com. It quoted Guled to report that Mathew recently began claiming that he was the God. “We also found a few packets of liquor in his room. A medical test has been conducted and we will receive the reports shortly.”
The Banaswadi Police booked a case under Sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class), 427 (mischief causing damage) and 447 (criminal trespass) of the Indian Penal Code.
The officer said that Mathew’s family hailed from Kerala but they lived in Bengaluru’s Banaswadi in a house they owned for the last 30 years. “He also had a failed relationship with a girl five years ago.”