West Bengal: 72-Year-Old Nun Gangraped at Convent School, Police Detain 5

Six dacoits ransacked the school and church and looted around ₹9 lakh from administrative funds.

west bengal convent school nun gang raped — A Catholic nun from the Missionaries of Charity, the global order of nuns founded by Mother Teresa, signs a banner during a rally to show solidarity with the nun who was raped during an armed assault on a convent school, in Kolkata March 16, 2015. Christians in India said on Monday that the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not done enough to protect their religion, after a spate of attacks including the rape of the 75-year-old nun at the weekend. Christians prayed and held vigils across the country to protest against the rape during an armed assault on a convent school, the worst in a series of incidents that followers of the faith say are making them feel unwelcome in their own country.Reuters

Of the six dacoits who allegedly gangraped a 72-year-old nun and looted the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Ranaghat's Nadia district early on Saturday morning, five were detained by the West Bengal police on Sunday.

"We have detained a number of persons and are presently questioning them. We believe that we will soon arrest the culprits. Five persons have been detained. They are residents of Ranaghat area in Nadia," Hindustan Times quoted a police officer as saying.

The nun who underwent surgery after the incident is said to be stable now.

The police had accessed the CCTV footage in which four of the six accused were seen. The police had on Saturday released the footage and announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh for providing any information on the accused.

The police are looking into different angles as the school had received threats and had recently suspended a security guard.

The gang sneaked into the campus of the school-cum-convent early on Saturday morning and gagged the security guard after which they raped the nun at around 4 am. Thereafter, they looted around ₹9 lakh from administrative funds and ransacked the church as well, the police said at a press conference on Sunday.

"After tying 3 of the 5 sisters, they (robbers) entered the Principal's room and ransacked it, destroying property and taking money, a laptop and a mobile phone," Vicar General of Kolkata Archdiocese Fr. Dominic Gomes said in a statement, according to a NDTV report

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a CID probe into the incident, while her government has linked the incident to ghar wapsi.

"We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Ranaghat Convent... CID will be examining all aspects to this horrific crime. Swift, strongest action to be taken," Banerjee tweeted on the party's official Twitter page.

"A religious fanaticism has been created in the country. Different churches are being attacked at various places. In the name of 'Ghar Wapsi', people are being religiously provoked," State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said.