Mysuru: A church in Karnataka’s Mysuru district was vandalised by a group of unidentified individuals two days after Christmas on Tuesday, December 27.
The incident took place at St Mary’s Church in Periyapatna, about 85 km from Mysuru city. The perpetrators broke the back door of the church to get in and damaged a statue of Baby Jesus inside the church.
They also stole some money along with the church’s offering box, the police said, as per The News Minute report.
The report said vandalism and theft were discovered at around 7 pm on Tuesday by a staff member of the church, who immediately alerted the pastor.
A complaint was filed with the Periyapatna police by Father John Paul, which said that the perpetrators had destroyed the statue of Baby Jesus placed in a crib. Police teams have been formed to track down the culprits, who are currently absconding.
The perpetrators may have entered the church knowing that Father John Paul was out of town and the caretaker was on leave, the report said quoting the police.
The police will review footage from CCTV cameras on the church premises to identify the individuals responsible for the incident.
In this regard, police have registered a case under Sections 295 A (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 380 (theft at a dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
